


Femboy Hooters & Goth iHop

by pasteleclectic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Blood, Boss/Employee Relationship, Daichi is not canon, Exes, Fist Fights, Flirting, Friendship, Getting Together, Goths, Happy Ending, Humor, Jealousy, Kissing, M/M, Manipulation, Mutual Pining, Past Verbal Abuse, Pining, Relationship(s), Shipping, Smoking, Some angst, Stalking, Toxic Relationship, attempted physical assault, femboys, fetish mention, i know the tags look scary but I promise it’s not that graphic, like at all lol, physical violence, slight nsfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:40:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26410528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pasteleclectic/pseuds/pasteleclectic
Summary: “Oh calm down, I won't call the cops. For now”, he stared down at Hinata, who was now shaking and mouth agape. He took everything way too serious, which was fun for Oikawa most of the time.Hinata was about to start a bumbling defense when Oikawa cut him off short. “If you're wondering why he gets so many tips it's because he's hot. In that mysterious and aloof kind of way.” Even though he was over half a foot taller than him, Oikawa looked down at Hinata through thick brown lashes. “Men love what they can't have.”~~~Based on the au series of @val_kurry art on ig.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi & Nishinoya Yuu, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou & Miya Atsumu, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Miya Osamu & Suna Rintarou, Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou, Sawamura Daichi & Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Tendou Satori & Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 127
Kudos: 2315





	1. Chapter 1

“Table three is asking for refills on drinks.”

Akaashi suppressed a sigh. “This is the third time,” he said more so to himself.

Oikawa smirked, ”Don't shoot the messenger,” he said with a tilt of his head while setting down a stack of trays.

Akaashi started his journey over to the table, with many of the restaurant patrons' eyes following him along the way. He ignored their prolonged stares, but what he didn't notice was the tufts of orange and green hair peeking over the bar counter who were watching him even more closely.

“I don't get it, he hasn’t been working here that long and I'm almost certain he's gotten more tips than all of us combined. He even got a ring from a customer”, said the shorter of the two.

Yamaguchi knew that Hinata wasn't saying this out of hatred for Akaashi because he was well aware of Hinata’s competitive spirit. He didn't like to insult people's intelligence, but if someone challenged Hinata to an underwater basket weaving contest, he knew his friend would die of asphyxiation if it meant winning.

“Oh c'mon Hinata, you're being overdramatic. We all get good tips from time to time, it's just the luck of the draw…. Wait did you say he got a ri-”, his sentence was cut off when they both noticed the Lamborghini keys Akaashi’s customer was waving in his face. They couldn't hear the interaction from across the restaurant, but it looked like the man was very insistent on giving Akaashi a ride. However the server, with one hand holding a drink mug and the other held up in a slight wave, seemed to be declining the man's offer. After about a minute of this, Akaashi started heading to the kitchen with the same blank expression he always wore. It was always hard to tell exactly what he was thinking, with his high arched brows and relaxed frown. Such features would look harsh on almost anyone else, but with such a delicate bone structure surrounding it, it made Akaashi more ethereal. And intimidating.

“What are you two doing?”

Hinata all but jumped over the counter and Yamaguchi clapped a hand over his mouth to suppress a yelp.

“How long have you been standing there Oikawa?”, Hinata said with hairs standing on the back of his neck.

“Long enough to see you two stalking Akaashi”, Oikawa said in an annoyingly suave tone as he pretended to check his cuticles.

“Stalking?! We- We weren't stal-”, Yamaguchi was stuttering over his words, still unable to figure out how such a tall figure could go unnoticed for as long as he did.

“Oh calm down, I won't call the cops. For now”, he stared down at Hinata, who was now shaking and mouth agape. He took everything way too serious, which was fun for Oikawa most of the time.

Hinata was about to start a bumbling defense when Oikawa cut him off short. “If you're wondering why he gets so many tips it's because he's hot. In that mysterious and aloof kind of way.” Even though he was over half a foot taller than him, Oikawa looked down at Hinata through thick brown lashes. “Men love what they can't have.”

“So you're saying I need to be more mysterious and cool, that way I’ll get more money,” Hinata beamed with both fists on his hips. Oikawa doubled over in laughter and Yamaguchi put a fist over his mouth to stop from snorting.

“Hey! Why are you guys laughing at me! I can totally be- ”, orange shortys sentence was cut off by the all familiar bell that indicated that customers have just walked in. Oikawa did a shoddy job at hiding an eye roll and Hinata stood alert with hands gripping the counter and mouth fidgeting. If he was trying to go for mysterious, he was failing miserably. They heard a small yip to their left and noticed that place where Yamaguchi was standing was now blank. Their eyes traveled down to see him crouching on the floor with worried eyes and blush across his freckled face.

“What are you doing Yams, that's your next table,” said Hinata.

“I can't….I- Someone else has to serve them.”

“What's wrong, are they creeps?” Oikawa said, now staring down at the men in a predatory manor. As much as he liked to tease his fellow coworkers, he was loyal through and through. The customers consisted of two young men. The slightly taller one was blonde with glasses, and the other had messy black hair. They were both looking down at the blonde’s phone screen while making their way towards the counter, seemingly missing Yamaguchi’s escape.

“No! No, it's nothing like that. I just….I cant okay!”, the blush was starting to creep down his neck.

“Oh my my Hinata,” Oikawa crossed his arms over his chest, never breaking eye contact from Yamaguchi. “I think our little green bean has a crush.”

“Shut up Oikawa, no I don't. Can you please just help me out this once.”

“Jeez Yami-chan, calm down. You sound like I've never done you a favor before,” he was met with blank stares from both men. Okay so maybe he wasn't the most considerate coworker, but they didn't have to rub it in! Just then Kenma passed by, the startled Yamaguchi going completely unnoticed from him. Probably because his overgrown dyed hair was covering half of his peripheral.

“Kenma!”, Oikawa clasped a hand on his shoulder to stop him in his tracks. “Can you help serve these lovely gentlemen.” At this point the men were standing a few feet away from the counter, ignorant to the nervous wreck that was crouched before them.

“Sure thats...”Kenma stopped mid sentence when he made eye contact with the customers in question and said the last word with a sigh, “.. fine.” Kenma never looked particularly thrilled for anything, but something about these customers made his usually slumped shoulders sink down even farther.

“Hey Kenma!,” the black hair man smiled with a wave.

Kenma walked past him, completely ignoring the greeting. “Follow me this way.” The customer seemed to be just as pleased, as if Kenma didn’t completely blow him off.

When they were a safe distance away, Oikawa crouched down besides Yamaguchi, a wicked smile across his face. “So,” he started, “Do you and that guy have a history or something? Bad first date? Is he a minute man?”

“What?! No, Oikawa stop! I only served for him once and I could hardly look to him,” Yamaguchi now had his face buried in his hands.

“Then you need to ask for his number! Texting is an easy way to break the ice for some people.”

“No way! Besides, why would he want my number”, Yamaguchi said in a defeated tone, with eyes pointed towards the ground.

“Are you kidding me? You're a hooters waiter, Yami-chan. You are meant to appeal to the male gaze,” Oikawa hooked a finger on the waistband of Yamaguchi’s shorts and released it with a snap. Yamaguchi went to bat his hand away but Oikawa was already standing up.

“Don't worry your pretty little head, I’ll handle this”.

“What, no! What do you plan on doing? Oikawa, stop!”, but it was too late. Oikawa was sauntering off in the direction that Kenma had gone in, and when Yamaguchi stood up there were new customers in front of him.

“Welcome to Femboy Hooters”, said Hinata a little too excitedly before catching himself. He slung his shoulders back and looked to the side, feigning aloofness. “What can I do for ya..”. It took nearly all of Yamaguchi’s willpower to not do a facepalm. They were seriously going to have to work on this mysterious act if Hinata was going to keep this up.

***

Kenma expertly set down drinks on the table before pulling out a notepad. “What can I get started for you.” He focused his attention on the blonde guy, ignoring the flashing grin to his side. He scribbled down his order and turned to the other man without making eye contact. “And for you?”

“I’ll have whatever is your favorite,” Kenma could practically feel his grin burn a hole through his head.

“I don't really have a favorite,” he said, trying his hardest to keep from scowling.

“Damn, and here I was hoping to learn something new about you today,” he said with his fist under his chin with a pout, as if he was actually disappointed. Kenma noticed his friend do a slight shake of his head from across the table.

“I don't really get why you ask when you order the same thing every time you come here,” Kenma said, now looking up to meet the man's dark gaze, who he knew by now as Kuroo. Today he was wearing a short sleeve black button up shirt, with a few too many of the buttons undone. And laying on his hard chest was a black cross necklace, which matched the small black gauges on his ears. The only thing that hadnt changed is that stupid grin he always wore. ‘I need this job. I need this job. I need this job’ Kenma repeated over and over in his head.

“Well maybe I wanna try something new. I'm sure you can suggest something fitting for me to eat.”

“How about the fish soup,” Kenma said in his usual monotone voice, earning a chuckle from the glasses wearing man.

Kuroo’s lip only turned more upright at the corner. “Actually I've had my fill on docosahexaenoic acids for today, so I think I'll go with the usual.”

Kenma quickly grabbed the menus from the men and made his way towards the kitchen. Once he was done giving the order to Tanaka, the chef, he turned to go to his other tables when someone stood in front of him, blocking his way.

“I need your help,” grinned Oikawa.

“What now?”

***

Sugawara, store manager of Femboy Hooters, was pacing back to his office when something caught the corner of his eye. From the parking lot, he could see a familiar man coming out of his car, heading towards the restaurant. With wide eyes, Sugawara nearly ran to the front counter.

“Hinata. Find Akaashi. Now.”

Hinata was beginning to say something along the lines of ‘I think he's waiting on a table’, but Suga swiftly shooed him off while he went to go find Noya. Once the men were all gathered he instructed Hinata and Noya to wait at the doors, and placed Akaashi a few feet behind them, menu in hand. By the time everyone was in place, the man was halfway up the steps. Suga just barely made it behind the main counter in time when the doors swung open by the two awaiting servers.

“Welcome, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said melodically.

“Hey Hey Hey!”


	2. Chapter 2

-about 3 months ago-

On the outskirts of Downtown where young people went out to party the weekend away, there was a bar at the end of the city block that was a hole in the wall. In fact, the bar was called ‘Hole in the Wall’, and although that might not have been the intended purpose when the owners opened it up back in the late 60s, it definitely lived up to its name. The last streetlamp on the block was about 10 feet shy from casting any light on the rusted roof of the bar. The only neon sign outside the front window made an incessant buzzing sound while only lighting up about half the letters of the bar's name. And even though this street block has gone through many renovations as years pass, the city seemed to draw a line at where they stopped retouching pavement. This led to some pretty steep potholes on the sidewalk, which have caused numerous accidents for unknowing drunk patrons trying to navigate their way home.Luckily HITW has collected a rather consistent customer base over the years, so most knew where to place their next step, no matter now enamored they were.

It was about an hour till closing time and things were starting to whine down, which meant it was clean up time if Akaashi wanted to go home on time. He had been busy carefully stacking empty liquor bottles in the recycling bin when he noticed a shadow cast over him. When he looked up he was met with wide golden eyes.

“Hi. What can I get for you?”

The man looked confused for a moment, as if he wasn’t expecting that question. And then his face straightened, seemingly remembering that he was indeed sitting on a bar stool.

“Sorry, I don't really drink much.”

Akaashi’s brows slightly furrowed. “Then why did you come to a bar?”

“To be honest with you, I was escaping bad company. And this place seemed quiet enough,” at that, the man’s eyes moved over to the direction of an old man passed out at the end of the bar. His arm was tucked under his head and drool was edging dangerously close to the counter. Akaashi almost smiled.

“We close up soon, but you're free to stay here till then as long as you buy a drink.”

“Sounds fair. Just make me whatever is easiest for you.”

As Akaashi set down a glass and grabbed the ice scooper, he could tell that the man was watching him without trying to come off as rude, his eyes darting off to the side whenever it seemed like Akaashi would look up at him. It was endearing, considering most of the men who came here would shamelessly drink in his body just as deeply as the glasses in front of them.

When Akaashi was done making the drink, he slid it to the man, who absently held it in both hands. “Im Bokuto. What’s your name?”

“Akaashi.”

“Akaaaaashi,” Bokuto sounded out his name as if testing out how it felt on his tongue.

Bokuto was definitely younger than most of the customers Akaashi served on any given night, but he looked to be a couple years older than him. His black and gray hair looked as if it had been slicked back with gel early, but was now starting to curl up at the ends. He wore a fitted button up shirt, and the steel blue color made his golden eyes pop even more. The shirt looked expensive and custom fit, making his broad shoulders and muscular arms stand out as he leaned over his untouched drink. Akaashi had to admit, he was handsome.

For a second it looked like Bokuto wanted to say something but Akaashi was met with silence, so he went back to carefully stacking bottles. He didn’t pay too much attention to Bokuto, but he could see from his peripheral that he was looking around the bar, not that there was anything interesting to look at besides the volleyball game silently playing on the one tv the bar had. His hands looked like they couldn't decide if they wanted to be around the glass or on the counter.

“So… Do you like your job?”

Akaashi picked up a cloth to wipe the excess condensation on the counter. “I don’t hate it. It's not too far from where I live.” Akaashi cursed himself for saying that. Even if Bokuto seemed nice, he shouldn’t be telling a complete stranger where he lives, no matter how vague it was.

“If you’re looking to make more money, I could help you out with that.”

Akaashi’s hand stopped moving and his eyebrows shot up. At that, Bokuto’s smile fell and panic washed over his face. “Oh god,” he said while dragging his palms down his face. “I didn't mean it like that. I’m so sorry. You must think I’m a creep, I-.”

“It's okay, Bokuto-san.” The man's face seemed to have brightened up from the sound of his name coming from the bartender’s lips. “How did you mean it?”

Bokuto coughed into his fist then said, “I own a restaurant not too far from here. Well, I don't really own it, but I am the chain manager for all of those restaurants in this district.We’re looking for more waiters and you look you’d fit the position well.”

“And how do you know I’d be a good fit for the job? We just met and you can’t even judge my drink making skills,” he motioned towards the full whiskey glass.

“Well you do a good job at keeping your counters clean. And I see that you recycle!,” Bokuto said a little too reluctantly.

Akaashi leaned forward and titled his head slightly.“Is recycling a major part of this job?” He could see Bokuto’s pupils widen from underneath the dim lights.

“Uhm.. Well, no. But...It shows that you care about the environment.”

“Uh huh,” Akaashi turned around, pretending to organize receipts so that Bokuto couldn't see his smile. “And what makes you think I need more money?”

“Hey, I said I didn’t mean it like that! Cut me some slack.”

Akaashi turned back to face Bokuto, with his face at neutral again. He wasn’t sure what to say next, but Bokuto spoke up instead.

“If I'm being honest, I have had a horrible night and I'm not very familiar with this part of town. I was about to call a cab, but I saw you through the window and something in my gut told me to come in, as ridiculous as it is for someone who doesn't even drink to come into a bar. I may not know you that well, but anyone with eyes could take one look and tell that you are too good for a place like this. I thought I’d be fine with just a hello, and I'm grateful that you're even taking this much time to even talk to me, but it was like once I heard you say my name I just thought to myself ‘It would be a damn shame if that was the last time I got to here it’. ”

Akaashi felt like he was just struck by lightning. His jaw might have dropped open if his body didn’t feel completely frozen in place at that moment. He has never been so openly praised by anyone, let alone a complete stranger.

Bokuto pulled out his wallet and fished out a $50 bill and a business card, laying it next to the drink between them. “Anyway, this is the place,” he tapped a large knuckle on the card, meeting Akaashi’s still shocked gaze with a look of bashfulness. “I...hope you consider applying. Have a good night, Akaashi.”

Akaashi was still frozen in place as he watched the large man walk out the bar. The only thing that shocked him out of his state was the man in the corner who managed to snore himself awake.

“Whare time izzit,” the man grumbled.

Akaashi looked down at the card in front of him.

“It’s closing time.”

***  
-present day-

“C’mon Kei, you can’t stay mad at me forever.”

“I can try.”

Kuroo put a hand over his heart, in mock hurt. “Ouch. I try to be a good friend and set you up on a blind date and this is the thanks I get? How was I supposed to know that she’d use a butter knife under her fingernails in the middle of dinner.”

“That I can understand, but you could’ve warned me that she smells like corn. And more importantly, that she doesn't believe in dinosaurs.”

“When you get to be my age, we’ll look back on this and laugh. At least be happy that I’m treating you to dinner.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t invite me here under altier motives.”

“I….,” at that moment, Kenma was at the table with two wing baskets balanced on a plastic tray. Kuroo continued, “..have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”, said Kenma while he placed the food down in front of the two men.

“Yes, Kenma, actually there is,” said Kuroo, his eyes growing more wicked with each word. “I need help setting my friend up-”

“Shut it, Tetsuro!”, Kei planted his fist on the table.

Both men were caught off guard when Kenma bent down and retrieved a cell phone from his sock. When he stood back up, he was met with their wide stares. Kenma shrugged a shoulder when he said, “The uniform is too tight to keep it anywhere else.”

“Good to know,” Kuroo grinned darkly.

Kenma refused to give that statement a reaction while he flipped to the picture he needed. Once he found it, he angled the phone screen to the glasses guy and said, “My coworker wants your number.”

After a minute of hyena laughs and borderline nosebleeds, he made his way back towards the kitchen. On the way there, he noticed his bosses boss sitting at a table by himself, though he looked more than pleased to be there.

When Kenma opened the kitchen door, he was met with the sight of Oikawa pinned against the wall, and Yamaguchi’s hands holding his neck in place.

“You had no right, Oikawa! Now he’s gonna think I’m a total weirdo. I’m going to have to quit my job because of you!”

“Kenma….,” Oikawa rasped, a desperate look in his eyes. “Please help…”

“As fun as this is,” Kenma held up his phone toward Yamaguchi. “I got his number.”

Both men looked at him in bewilderment. Kenma continued, “Also Bokuto is here so we should probably hold off on killing Oikawa till after we get his order.”

Yamaguchi was too shocked to register what Kenma had said, while Oikawa looked like he just got slapped in the face. “For the record, Akaashi is serving him. And as for you,” he turned to face Yamaguchi, who was still staring at the phone in his hands as if it might disappear like quick sand if he looked away. “You better hope I don’t report your twink ass to hr and-.”

Oikawa’s sentence was cut off by what sounded like several dishes clattering to the floor.

“Let go of me!”

***

-about 2 and a half months ago-

The process of applying went by faster than Akaashi expected. He got a phone call to set up an in person interview the day after sending in his application, and by the end of the interview, Sugawara offered him the job on the spot. The pay and benefits far outweighed what he was making at HITW, so he accepted. The hardest part was giving the bar owners his two week notice. Even though their relationship was mostly professional, in the years that he had worked with them, he had witnessed how hard they worked to keep the place afloat.

On his first day at Femboy Hooters, he was greeted by all the staff members. Everyone seemed nice enough, except for the tall lanky one whose smile always seemed to hold a double meaning. Most of the day was spent with basic training, which Akaashi picked up on quickly, and by the end of the day he felt pretty comfortable around everyone. He didn’t talk much, but everyone else had enough witty banter to go around to make up for it.  
When it was time for Akaashi to leave, it was already dark outside. As he stepped out the back door of the restaurant, he grabbed a cigarette from his hoodie and placed it between his lips. He dug around in his pockets, looking for his lighter to no avail. Maybe he left it in his locker….

“Need a light?”

Akaashi’s head whipped in this direction he heard the voice, his heartbeat slowing down when he saw who the voice belonged to.

“Bokuto-san, what are you doing here?”, said Akaashi through stuttered breath.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to check in to see how your first day was.”

Akaashi took in a deep breath to settle his lungs, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness to see the man before him. Bokuto had one shoulder leaned against the brick wall, his hair stood up more than it did the first night they met. He had on what looked like another custom fit button up, but this time it was white. His pants were a gunmetal grey color, and the fabric had a slight sheen to it that accentuated how thick his thighs were. With shiny leather shoes to top it off, he looked every bit a businessman ready to take on the world.

When Akaashi’s eyes met back up with Bokuto’s, he realized he’d been staring for longer than he thought. Bokuto nervously scratched the back of his head and gave a soft chuckle. “I had meetings till late in the evening, so I just came from work.”

Akaashi took slow, deliberate steps towards the man, making sure his hips jut out just a little bit farther than normal. He could tell that Bokuto was trying to keep his eyes forwards, but the sight of him in his new uniform shorts must’ve been distracting. When his face was only a couple inches away from Bokuto’s, Akaashi took the cigarette out of his mouth between two fingers. “You came all this way to ask me how my day was?”

“It was on the way home.”

Akaashi could have sworn he heard Bokuto’s voice crack just a little. For such a big man, Bokuto was easy to make nervous.

He took another step forward, now their faces close enough he could feel Bokuto’s sharp inhale. Akaashi put his thigh between Bokuto’s legs, gently lifting it up till he felt something hard. At the same time, he circled his index finger around the top button of Bokuto’s shirt, as if debating on whether or not he wanted to unbutton it. When he looked up at Bokuto, he could feel the shiver run down the larger man’s body. “Do you do this with every new hire?”

Bokuto looked like he was on the verge of breaking, but the last thing Akaashi expected was for him to place his hands on either of his shoulders and gently push him back, breaking the contact Akaashi created.

“You don’t need to do this,” said Bokuto almost apologetically.

Akaashi wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or confused. The space that Bokuto had put between them felt empty and awkward now. “Sorry. I just figured this was something you expect of me.”

Bokuto roughly ran his hands through his scalp with a groan. “No, no! God, this is all my fault. I didn’t mean for it to go like this.”

Akaashi grabbed his keys from his pocket and turned towards the direction of the parking lot, hiding the burning he felt creep up his face. He began to say ‘Won’t happen again’, when he felt Bokuto’s hand gently wrap around his wrist.

“Wait, please?” His eyes were begging. “I really did come here with the intention of knowing if you liked the job so far, that way I'd know that I have another chance to see you again. But I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything. And the next time you approach me like that, I want it to be because _you_ want to.”

‘This man can be so unnerving,’ Akaashi thought. He inhaled deeply through his nose and turned around, hoping that his face didn’t betray him. He placed the cigarette he was holding back in his mouth and looked up at Bokuto.

“Still got a light?”

***  
-present day-

Kenma, Yamaguchi, and Oikawa all burst through the kitchen door once they heard the noise and looked out onto the restaurant. All the other customers' attention was pointed towards a table that had plates and a broken glass littering the floor. Standing by the table was Akaashi, and beside him was a man who had his hands possessively wrapped around the server’s arm and shoulder.

“Quit being a fuckin tease. I just wanna have one drink with you”, the man slurred.

“You’re drunk, sir. Allow me to call you a cab,” said Akaashi as he tried to ease himself from the man’s grasp.

Suddenly, Noya was at the scene and he grabbed the man's wrists and swiftly removed them from Akaashi. He then grabbed a fist full of the man's hoodie, which seemed to have beer stains running down the collar. “Oy! Lay off asshole!”

Sugawara was weaving through the tables towards the group as he said, “Noya, no! You can't put your hands on a customer.”

Noya didn't even seem to register that Sugawara was there. With his temple twitching and teeth gritted, all of his focus was on the drunk in front of him. It would’ve been more intimidating, if it wasn't for the fact that Noya was at least half a foot shorter than this man. “The hell do you think you’re doing? You got a death wish? Don't touch him like that.”

“Fight, fight, fight!”, Oikawa started chanting. Yamaguchi tried shushing him, but it took one grave stare from Kenma to shut him up.

When they looked back at the scene, there was someone standing behind the drunk, who didn’t seem to notice. Instead he smirked down at Noya saying, “Why the fuck is it such a big deal? He’s just a bitch.”

At that, two large hands clenched down on the man’s shoulders, startling him.

“Let's take this outside, shall we?”, said Bokuto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @val_kurry and everyone in the comments of the first chapter for the overwhelming support. This has been so fun to write and I'm just glad that others are enjoying it. I seriously haven't stopped smiling ok bye <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a bit longer to write because besides the source material, I’ve been making a lot of this up as I go. I updated the tags and I’ll leave a note beforehand whenever I do so in upcoming chapters. Enjoy :)

By the time Kenma stepped out of the front doors of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk, it was pitch black outside. With his earbuds plugged in, he was too focused on opening his playlist on his phone for him to notice the man sitting on the bench he passed by.

"Kenma?"

He turned around to see Kuroo, now standing up from the bench. Kenma couldn't quite read the look on his face, but he wasn't his usual smug self.

"Oh, it's you."

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I just thought you were, like, a stalker or something."

"If you're relieved that I'm not a stalker, then why do you still look so disgusted?"

"Because I'd honestly rather it be a stalker than you."

"Well sorry to disappoint.....But I was waiting out here for you."

That made Kenma stop and turn to face Kuroo head on with the nastiest scowl he could muster. "I just had to stay late for two hours because our manager scolded us after Nishinoya put his hands on that drunk customer. You're telling me you've been waiting out here for that long?"

"Well I made sure to finish my food first but....yeah."

"Why?"

"Because after what I witnessed in there tonight, I wanted to make sure you got home safe. It's dangerous for you to be walking out here alone in the dark."

"If you're not a stalker, then how do you know I walk home alone?"

Kuroo scratched the back of his head and gave a gruff laugh."Ah, c'mon Kenma. Our jobs aren't that far from each other. I've seen you walking alone before."

"You do realize I'm a grown man, right? If it's so dangerous out here, I suggest you worry about yourself," at the last word, he turned and started walking towards the direction of home. It only took Kuroo two steps to catch up with him, considering how long his legs were.

"I always walk home. The difference between you and me is that I'm 6'1 and 166 pounds. You are 20 years old and all skin and bones. One swoop of my leg and you're gone."

"I don't need you to baby me, Kuroo."

"Would you change your mind if we stopped at McDonalds and I bought you fries?"

This made Kenma stop in his tracks. For the first time this evening, his face seemed to brighten. Even if it was just a little bit. The side of Kuroo's mouth quirked up ever so slightly."Is that a yes?"

"... I'd prefer an apple pie."

"Is that your favorite?"

Kenma nodded as the two continued their walk. He heard snickering to the side and snapped his head up at Kuroo. "What are you laughing at?"

Kuroo tried suppressing his smile by running his tongue over his teeth, but his shoulders were still shaking from underneath his oversized black hoodie."Nothing. It's just that I finally got to learn something new about you."

***

When the lecturing of a lifetime was over for them, Hinata and Yamaguchi made their way through the parking lot towards Hinata's car. Since they lived close enough to each other, they often carpooled to work. Hinata was a few steps ahead of Yamaguchi, but he could hear the sound of him tapping out a message on his phone and deleting it over and over.

"It's too late to text him now, right? I don't want to give him the wrong idea. What if he's asleep by now, I don't want to wa-."

Yamaguchi was still rambling, but as the two of them were steps away from the car, Hinata's focus was now shifted to a small piece of paper that was wedged between his windshield and the wiper. He quickly plucked it from its place, still certain that Yamaguchi's eyes were glued to his phone. The air outside suddenly felt cold, and Hinata's hands shook ever so slightly as he brought the note closer to him. For a moment he thought about tossing it under his car and forgetting that he ever saw it. In a matter of minutes he could be driving his friend home with nothing else on his mind besides things like what to text someone you like. But intuition told him otherwise. So instead he took a silent breath and slowly opened it to read the scratchy handwriting inside.

'I miss you baby. Let's talk soon.'

"Are you ok?"

A cool chill was still running down Hinata's spine, but as if by instinct, he shoved the note into his hoodie pocket. By the time he turned around to face Yamaguchi, he had what he hoped was his usual smile plastered on his face.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. What were you saying?"

Yamaguchi didn't seem to notice anything suspicious because he pointed his phone screen towards Hinata and said, "Do you think this is good or should I wait to text him in the morning?"

Hinata did his best to focus on the words coming from his friend’s screen, but inside his pocket the note felt like hot coal, threatening to burn a hole through his hand.

***

Despite everyone being lectured for two hours about employee safety, Akaashi was the last one to leave the restaurant since he had to fill out a long incident report. The night stars were a welcoming sight after being trapped in the same building for so long. He felt more relaxed when he brought a lighter to his mouth and took a long drag from his cigarette. Looking past the smoke cloud,his pacing slowed when he saw Bokuto leaning against his car. There was dry blood under his nose and chin, but besides a few cuts on his face, the only other indication that anything happened to him was that his hair was a floppy mess and a button of his untucked shirt was missing. Akaashi wasn't sure if he should be relieved or angry.

"What's that face for?", Bokuto said with a smirk.

"You know what."

"Aww, are you mad at me?"

"What happened to your hair?"

"Got messed up in the fight."

Akaashi blew smoke directly in Bokuto’s face, causing him to shut his eyes, but the clouds dissipated with a whoosh as he suddenly wrapped his arms around the larger man’s neck and buried his face in his shoulder. He felt Bokuto go rigged for a moment before relaxing into it, wrapping his arms around Akaashi and resting his temple on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a long while, their chests rising and falling in intervals. The silence was finally broken when Akaashi’s voice entered Bokuto’s ear. "You shouldn't have done that."

"He shouldn't have called you a bitch."

"Is your nose okay?"

"Is your arm okay? From where that guy grabbed you?"

"Who the fuck cares?"

" _I_ do."

As usual, Akaashi was left silent by Bokuto's affirmations. In the past few months that he's gotten to know this man, he was always left startled by how honest he was. And more so, by how much he seemed to care for Akaashi without ever asking for anything in return. Bokuto was a busy man, but he always managed to pick Akaashi up after work at least once a week to drive him home. Sometimes on the ride home, they’d go back and forth with conversations about how their day went or something interesting that happened to them throughout the week. And other times Akaashi just wanted to lean his head out the window while balancing a cigarette between his fingers, and Bokuto would play music, smiling all the same. Bokuto would walk him to his front door, wishing him goodnight, but he wouldn’t leave till he heard Akaashi turn the lock on the door. He never asked to come inside, he just wanted to make sure he got home safe. This subtle routine they’ve started felt so natural and easy, and tonight was the first time Akaashi was afraid that he would lose it. 

“Wanna go home?”, Bokuto said.

“Yeah.”

***

Past a certain time, Mcdonalds didn't allow customers to dine in, so once Kuroo and Kenma got their order, they walked about half a block until they settled on a plain of grass that looked out on the city bridge. They were sitting at an incline, so it was unlikely that anyone walking on the sidewalk above could see the two of them sprawled out on the grass. Not that there was hardly anyone out at this time. The only sign of life was the occasional headlights from a passing car driving through the bridge. The moon was at a waxing crescent, and its light reflected off the water beneath the bridge, making it look like ripples of black silk.

Kenma was laid back on the grass, his stomach full from the apple pie he scarfed down before they even made it to their designated picnic spot. Kuroo was sitting upright, picking at fries inside of the paper bag that sat between them. At this angle, Kuroo could admire how narrow Kenma's pupils were under the moonlight, which showed off the full spectrum of his golden irises. When they flicked up at him in a skeptical glance, Kuroo figured he needed to say something before he irritated him.

"Does your friend believe in dinosaurs?"

"What?", Kenma's face scrunched up in confusion.

"One's belief in human evolution is kind of a deal breaker for my friend, so if he doesn't believe in all that, it might not work out between them."

"Right," Kenma's face marginally relaxed. "I'm not as close with him as Shoyou is, so he'd be the one to ask."

"Shoyou? You mean the little red head?"

"Mhm."

"You close with him?"

"Yeah. Him and Akaashi are the only ones I can tolerate."

"You don't seem to tolerate a _lot_ of things, Kenma."

Kenma scoffed while keeping his eyes pointed up at the sky. "Don't pretend like you know anything about me."

"I know enough. For one, I know that you let your guard down in return for food."

Kenma couldn't help but to snicker at that. "'Let my guard down?' Dont give yourself so much credit. You're not exactly the epitome of "intimidatingly masculine", Kuroo. Besides, you seem like the type to-"

Kenma was caught off guard when Kuroo grabbed his wrists and pinned them down on either side of his head. Kuroo’s legs were long enough that his knees were on either side of Kenma’s hips, but his feet were holding down Kenmas legs. He was putting enough pressure that it didn’t hurt, but Kenma couldn’t move from his grasp, though he was too shocked to do so anyway. There was just enough space between them for Kuroo to look down on Kenma, his expression frighteningly serious. 

“Um. Kuroo, what-”

"Dont be stupid, Kenma. You trust too easily. I don't "seem like the type"? The type to do what? You don't know me, either. What if I were someone dangerous? And you let your guard down because I seemed innocent? What would you do in this situation. Look at you. You're completely defenseless."

Kuroo swiftly removed himself from Kenma, sitting back in the same position he was in before. Except this time his face was pointed away from Kenma

'Fuck', Kuroo thought. 'Did I go too far? I hope I didn't scare him.'

"Um, Kuroo?"

"Yes?"

"Can you walk me home again tomorrow?"

***

On the drive home, Yamaguchi's boy troubles were a welcoming distraction as he navigated through the dimly lit streets. It wasn't until after he dropped his friend off and was parked at his apartment complex that his nerves crept back up to him. He nearly ran up the steps to his second story apartment and by the time his hands were steady enough to push the key through the lock of the front door, he swooped in and swung it close, pressing his back against it. His eyes were closed as he tried to settle his heavy breaths.

"You ok?"

Hinata's nerves were at wits end, and he couldn't help but to let out a small yelp. Sitting on the couch across from him was his roommate, Kageyama. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and black shorts, typical sleepwear for him. On the coffee table in front of him, he had his notebook that he was always writing in layed out, and a box of milk next to it.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Hinata, not even trying to hide the annoyance in his tone. After the day he had, the second to last person he wanted to see was his roommate. To say they got along was a stretch. They have been living together for a couple months now, and it was as if every time they interacted, it always ended in them butting heads over any and everything, no matter how small. The only thing holding this arrangement together was the fact that their work schedules kept them apart most of the day. Not that he knew where he worked. Their habit of petty arguments started off so early in their relationship that they hardly knew anything about each other besides things like what temperature they preferred to keep the apartment at (warm for Hinata and cold for Kageyama) or what what kind of lighting they liked (natural for Hinata and indoor for Kageyama).

Hinata walked across the living room and was beginning to turn the knob to his bedroom door when he heard Kageyama say, "Oy. I need my flash drive back."

"I'll look for it later," Hinata dismissed, quickly opening and shutting the door behind him. He could hear Kageyama bickering after him about how he better pray he didn’t lose it or else. On any other night, he’d make time to retort something back at him, but instead he tore off his hoodie and flopped face down on his bed. He stayed like this for a long time, the only sounds being his heart beat and the crickets outside his window. After what felt like hours, those sounds slowly started to fade away and he eventually surrendered to sleep.

***

When Akaashi unlocked his front door, he turned to see Bokuto standing over his welcome mat expectantly, his face a relaxed smile . A stark contrast from the caked on blood that was still on his face. 

“At least let me clean you up”, said Akaashi as he opened the door wider, giving Bokuto enough room to enter. 

Bokuto hesitated for just a moment before stepping into the dark apartment. Akaashi closed the door behind him and started flicking on lights, leading Bokuto to his small bathroom. Once they were both inside, Akaashi looked in the drawer underneath the sink for his first aid kit. When he found it, he beckoned Bokuto over to stand by the sink since that was the best lighting they were going to get in this small square space. Akaashi began the process of drenching cotton balls in hydrogen peroxide. He put two fingers under Bokuto’s chin to angle his face slightly upwards, and started gently dabbing from the nose down until the affected area was clean. 

It wasn’t until his fingers were near Bokuto’s lips did Akaashi realize just how close they were. Besides the hug from earlier, they hadn’t had any physical contact since the first day Akaashi started the job. Since there was no expectations to be met, every moment they shared was filled with light conversations or peaceful silence. But now that they were here, in Akaashi’s apartment, inches away from each other, it felt like there was static in the air. The dabbing motions he was doing stopped when he reached Bokuto’s chin, and Akaashi’s hand dropped down to his side. Bokuto opened his eyes and looked down at him through golden slits.

“Why would you do this for me?”, Akaashi said, meaning it in more ways than one.

Bokuto’s jaw clenched, his voice gruff when he said, “You know why.”

That was all it took. Akaashi wrapped his arms around Bokuto’s neck just how he did earlier. Except this time their lips crashed into each other and they kissed so deeply, Akaashi felt like for a moment that he might drown. At first, Bokuto’s arms were still at his side, but months of patience had finally caught up to him and he grabbed Akaashi by the hips and hoisted him onto the bathroom sink, their lips never breaking from each other. The first aid kit and other small items clattered to the floor, but neither of them cared. Their bodies started to instinctually move against each other, Bokuto’s hands a firm anchor on Akaashi’s hips as they grinder against each other. Akaashi’s hands travelled down Bokuto’s chest and his fingers grazed over the spot where his button was missing from the fight. It might have not been the most polite thing to do for what was probably an expensive shirt, but Akaashi took this as an opportunity to hook his fingers on either side of the gap and rip the shirt open. Bokuto didn’t seem to mind, as he gave an approving grunt and pressed his hips harder to Akaashi’s. It was in that moment that he realized just how touch starved he had been these past few months. 

“Bokuto-san”, he practically whimpered against his mouth, his body spasmed as he felt precum leak onto his work shorts. 

Bokuto was pulled away just enough to look at Akaashi’s flushed face, both of them breathing heavily as they stared into each other’s eyes. This somehow felt more intimate than the kissing.

“Where is your bedroom?”

Akaashi barely got out the words “across the hall” when Bokuto’s hands were under his thighs, scooping him off the counter. Akaashi wrapped his legs around Bokuto’s hips and trailed kisses down his jaw and neck as they moved through the small apartment and into the bedroom. 

Bokuto had one arm wrapped firming around Akaashi’s waist, and he used the other to lower themselves down onto the mattress, their kisses becoming more fervent. With Bokuto on top, Akaashi took this as an opportunity to explore more of Bokuto’s chest, taking notice to how he reacted whenever one of his fingers grazed over his nipples. He brought his hands to Bokuto’s shoulders and pushed the shirt down, enjoying the way his arm muscles tensed under his touch. 

Akaashi didn’t expect it when Bokuto stuck his head under his hoodie, tailing wet kisses across his abdomen. He couldn’t help but to laugh at how Bokuto’s form made him look like he was some type of alien trying to crawl out of his stomach. 

Bokuto pulled his head out of his hoodie and looked down at Akaashi quizzically. “What are you laughing at?”

“You”, Akaashi said , covering his smile with one hand. 

“I don’t think you’ll be laughing soon.”

Before Akaashi could react, Bokuto flipped him onto his stomach and pulled his hips up in the air. Akaashi buried his face in the blanket to suppress his moans as he felt Bokuto’s teeth latch onto the waistband of his shorts and drag them down. For a moment he felt cold and exposed, grateful for how dark the room was, but Bokuto’s hands started kneeling patterns onto Akaashi’s ass, his breath warm as it hovered over his entrance. 

“Is this ok?”

“Fucking of course it’s ok”, Akaashi said impatiently while looking back at him. Bokuto was now sitting up, and with the only light source being the moonlight seeping through the window shudders, he looked like a massive shadow hovering over Akaashi. The only hints of color were the silver of his hair and the gold hue of his eyes taking in the view of the position Akaashi was in. 

“Good”, said Bokuto solemnly. “Because I’m not gonna go easy on you.” 

Everything that was pent up between them finally came to a crescendo and their bodies connected. They were interlocked for what felt like hours but neither were completely satisfied until Bokuto laid Akaashi on his back and they were face to face. Akaashi had to bite down on the arm Bokuto was using to hold himself up, and when Akaashi finally looked up at him, the heat that was pooling inside his body for all these hours, no, for all these months, finally came to its head and he felt the waves of sweet release pour out of him. Bokuto found his release shortly after and as they laid beside each other trying to catch their breath, all Akaashi could think was how he never wants to let this feeling go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part with kuroken is the reason why I started writing this, they really own my whole heart. Also I’m sorry if the last part isn’t as smutty as some of you were hoping for but I thought y’all deserved more than just a kissing scene hdiebjfjdhjfhfjfdkhd


	4. Chapter 4

Despite having a cheery grin on his face, Sugawara slammed his clipboard down a little bit harder than necessary on the bar counter top, shaking a few of the waiters out of their sleepy haze.

“Good morning everyone! Thanks for coming in so early. I hope you all slept well,” said Suga, choosing to ignore Bokuto’s snickering. At least he didn’t look half dead like the rest of his staff. Speaking of which…

“Oy. Noya. Wake up.”

“But Sugaaaa,” the tiny man said, arms slouched over a chair, “It’s literally 6 in the morning-”

“I don’t care. Need I remind you that you’re the main reason I called you all out here today. You laid hands on a customer.”

“I was defending Akaashi’s honor!” 

It was commendable how passionate Noya can sound even in a half sleeping state. Nonetheless, Suga still needed to be disciplinary. “You were out of line. You’re lucky you still have your job.”

“Oh?” said Bokuto. “When you called me, you said I was the one out of line?”

Bokuto was sitting in a chair with a hoodie on and a couple bandaids scattered across his face, far different from his usual professional attire. But what was more distracting was the fact that Akaashi was sitting on his lap, his arms wrapped lazily around Bokuto’s neck while the other man had his hand on the small of his back. Akaashi was wearing a long sleeve turtle neck crop top that was doing a bad job at hiding the purple hickeys scattered across his neck.

Suga felt like he was seconds away from a blood vessel bursting in his head, and he had to remind himself that he was speaking to his boss. “Bokuto, why are you even here? I only needed our waiters.”

“I needed to drop off Akaashi and I have nothing better to do.”

“Akaashi,” said Suga, directing his attention towards him now. “Get off of his lap.”

With much reluctance, Akaashi slipped off Bokuto’s lap but the two were still glued at the hip. Bokuto was running a hand up and down Akaashi’s spine while Akaashi kept a hand on one of Bokuto’s thighs. Even in spite of the hickeys, the crop top accentuated his slender arms and his bed head was just the right amount of a tousled mess, making him look every bit like an off duty model. Damn him for being so pretty…

“Well, anyways! Because of yesterday's little ‘incident’, as your manager I’ve decided that you boys need some self defense training that’ll help you deescalate a situation rather than escalate it. So, meet your new self defense trainer, Iwaizumi.”

Most had been too groggy to notice the man sitting in a booth across from the group, but they all greeted him with a simultaneous ‘Hiii, Iwaizumi-sannn’ as he stood up. He was about average height with shaggy black hair, and although he gave the crowd a pleasant smile, he seemed like the type to always have a permanent scowl on his face. The black wife beater he was wearing flattered his tan, muscular skin. He opened his mouth to start speaking when there was a loud slam coming from the back entrance of the restaurant. Oikawa burst through the kitchen door, eyes closed as he yawned, “Alright. I’m here and I’m queer losers, now can someone please explain why we have to-.”

Oikawa nearly ran into Iwaizumi, but was stopped in his tracks when he felt two hands wrap around his forearms. Oikawa’s eyes were finally fully open now, and at first there was the initial shock of coming in contact with someone unexpectedly. But when he gave Iwaizumi a once over, his face pinched up. Did Oikawa actually look….nervous?

Iwaizumi smirked up at Oikawa but addressed everyone when he said, “First lesson of the day: Always be aware of your surroundings.”

***

After about an hour of what was surprisingly interesting lessons on self defense, Iwaizumi picked up his checklist and said, “Ok, so we’ve gone through hammer strikes, heel palm strikes, side headlocks, groin kicks, blah, blah, blah….. All we have left is how to escape from being pinned to the floor. Any volunteers to help demonstrate.”

There was a loud skirt of a chair scooting against the hardwood floor as Oikawa nearly jumped out of his seat. Besides him, Kenma looked spaced out as if he had seen a ghost.

“Oh Iwa-sensei,” Oikawa said in a melodic tone, his hand raised high in the air. “ _I_ volunteer!”

On the designated area that was clear of all tables and chairs, Iwaizumi laid face up on the ground with his hands on either side of his head. “Now sit on top of me with your palms down on the side of my head.”

“With pleasure,” Oikawa said as he sauntered over to the instructor. When he was on top of him, his smirk was the farthest thing from coy. “Oh Iwa-sensei, you may be well versed in self defense but when it comes to height, I am the one who is overpowered. I’d say this is an unfair match, but maybe you measure up in other ways-”

In a blink of an eye, Iwaizumi thrusted his torso up, surprising Oikawa with their sudden closeness. Iwaizumi’s hands were on the back of Oikawa’s thighs and the two went rolling. Now it was Iwaizumi who was now on top, with Oikawa's wrists pinned under his strong grasp. All of the staff were staring in awe, but underneath the retorting smirk of Iwaizumi, Oikawa was stunned silent, unable to hide his blush with his hands being constrained. 

“You were saying?”, Iwaizumi said, failing to hide a grin.

He let go of Oikawa’s wrists and stood on his feet, offering Oikawa a hand. He took it reluctantly, making a show of patting off invisible wrinkles from his top and shorts. “Jeez, Iwa-chan. If you’re gonna throw me around like that at least take me to dinner first.”

“Does next week work for you?”, he said low enough that the others couldn’t hear.

Oikawa’s body went pin straight, and he had that same pinched expression from earlier. All he could muster was a small nod before he made his way back to his seat. 

***

Without looking up from the register, Kuroo could hear the halloween themed chime coming from the front door that indicated that customers have just walked into Goth iHop. 

“Oy, Semi, can you tell Sakusa to get that table’s orders? They just sat d-.”

A hand clamped down Kuroo’s tattooed arm, dragging him down. Now he was kneeling on the floor besides a terrified Kageyama. Whatever had him this flustered must’ve been serious since Kageyama’s reactions almost always vary between a scowl, a grimace, or indifference. All of which were a welcoming attitude for a place like this. 

“Kuroo! Help!”, he said in a loud whisper.

“Huh? With what?”, Kuroo tried to crowch lower, but with his tall build, his hair was still sticking out over the counter. 

“My roommate is here!”

“So?”

“He doesn’t know I work here. He’ll never let me live it down if he sees me like this!”, Kageyama notioned towards his uniform, if you could call it that. The only thing waiters were required to wear at this job was the blue or black apron with the company logo printed on it, everything else was left up to your discretion as long as it gave off a goth vibe. Today Kageyama had on under his apron a short sleeve navy button up, the front of which was open enough to see the fishnet top he had on underneath, its long sleeves reaching all the way down Kageyama’s arms and hooked over his thumbs. This was all adorned with a simple black choker, small black hoop earrings, and his top lip was painted black to show off his pout. It suddenly hit Kuroo that Kageyama would always come to work with a hoodie on, and he’d always come a few minutes early before his shift to put on his accessories and makeup. And he’s pretty sure there was one time he had seen him take it off at the end of his shift before he left the restaurant. 

“Alright, alright. Relax kid,” Kuroo said as he peered over the counter. “Which one is he?”

“Orange hair. You can’t miss him.”

Kuroo looked out onto the restaurant until he found the tangerine in question. Sitting beside him was Kenma, who’s eyes were squinted like a relaxed cat, his mouth almost upturned. That was the closest Kuroo had ever seen a smile on Kenma’s face, and he had to admit he was a little jealous.

He ducked back down besides Kageyama when he said, “Uhm, Kags? Do you know where he works?”

“No, why?”

“I don’t think he’d be one to judge,” he gave Kageyama a clap on the back that nearly knocked him over as he stood up. He swiftly walked over to table 4, which now had Sakusa standing beside it with a notepad and pen in his gloved hands.

“Welcome to Goth iHop, can I get you guys started with any drinks-.”

He was cut short when Kuroo stood besides him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh, heyyyy, Kenma and Shoyo! My dear old pals! Don’t worry Sakusa, I’ll take care of them. Why don’t you go on your lunch break?”

‘Great,’ Sakusa thought. ‘Now I have to burn this shirt.’

Sakusa turned and walked towards the backroom without a single word. It didn’t take a lot of convincing for Sakusa when it came to social distancing.

The almost smile Kenma had moments ago was now turned downwards as he peered up at Kuroo. “What are you doing, you hyena-laugh bitch?”

“I’m here to return the favor for all the times you served me, of course.”

“That’s really not necessary, but whatever. I’ll take a coke.”

“Same for me,” Shoyo perked up.

“Excellent, I’ll get those for you right away. Do enjoy your stay and don’t forget to tip the waiter. You…”, Kuroo placed a hand on the table in front of where Kenma was sitting and leaned forward, his head and nearly bare chest from tie up shirt now inches away from Kenma’s face. Kuroo ran his other hand slowly down his chest as he continued, “...can place your tip wherever you want. We don’t consider ourselves a family friendly establishment.”

Kenma was too stunned to say anything, but as Kuroo walked away he could hear a soft whisper say ‘shameless bastard’ from behind him. 

***

Kageyama was avoiding being out on the main floor of the restaurant for as long as possible, but soon enough more customers walked in. They sat two tables down from where Hinata and his friend were sitting, but with the layout of the restaurant, he’d have no way of avoiding walking past them. He wanted to ask if he could trade off with one of his coworkers but Kuroo was already helping him, Sakusa was on break, Osamu was at the main counter talking to who Kageyama assumed was his brother, Suna was off today, and Tendou was....Tendou. His manager, Kiyoko, would get suspicious if he didn’t get back to work, so his only option was to keep his head down as he paced over to his table.

“Kageyama?!”

‘God damnit’, he thought as he slowly turned to face his roommate.

They both looked at each other for a moment, Kageyama sure that Hinata was taking in his outfit with acute criticism. He should’ve called out today…

When their eyes met, Hinata had a completely different expression on his face than what he was expecting. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was but his mouth was slightly agape as he looked Kageyama up and down, and when their eyes finally met, his lips pursed and his cheeks flushed. Was he embarrassed for him? Kageyama wanted to ask what that face meant but that's when he noticed what Hinata was wearing. He had only ever seen his roommate in street clothes and pajamas, so when he finally took notice of the white crop top and orange short shorts, Kageyama’s jaw clenched. He looked even smaller than usual, and with him sitting down, his shorts rode even farther up his bare thighs, leaving very little to the imagination. A part of him wanted to throw his apron over Hinata’s legs so that no one else could see him.

“You work here?!”, Hinata said, wide eyed.

“Well, duh. But it’s not a big deal.”

“I didn’t say it was! Besides, look at me,” he motioned towards his uniform.

Kageyama looked back down but averted his eyes to rest slightly above Hinata to avoid staring at him. 

“You two know each other?,” his friend asked in a monotone voice.

“We’re roommates,” Hinata said with slight reservation. Kageyama could understand where that was coming from, since it’s hard to call their relationship simply roommates when they argue like an old married couple.

“Oh,” his friend said while looking down at his drink. “He could come out with us for Asahi’s birthday if he wants.”

Hinata tilted his head, gave his friend a look that said ‘Please shut up’ , but he didn’t seem to catch the hint.

“What? The more people that are there, the less likely Noya is gonna challenge me to an arm wrestling contest.”

Hinata looked like he was about to put up a defense when his eyes flickered to the side, his face paling momentarily. Kageyama was about to look behind him when suddenly Hinata grabbed his arm as he stood up, turning him at a 90 degree angle. They were now very close to each other, with part of Hinata’s chest pressed against Kageyama’s abdomen. If Kageyama didn’t know any better, he felt like Hinata was using him like a wall. But it was hard for him to look away from Hinata’s wide brown eyes as they stared up at him from this angle. They had never had close physical contact like this before, or any for that matter.

“Actually, can you please go? You don’t have to stay that long if you don't want,” Hinata’s eyes were pleading. 

Kagayama felt a tingle go up his arm and to his spine from the spot where Hinata’s hands were. “Yeah, that’s fine. Just.. have a seat, please.” Part of him was afraid of getting stares from customers, but moreso, he wanted to put a halt to this feeling he was having, or else his body might react before his mind does.

As Kageyama left to serve his table, Hinata looked out into the parking lot and beyond. Besides a mom pushing a baby stroller, there was a male figure pacing down the sidewalk with his hoodie up. He turned the corner before Hinata could get a good look at him, but he could’ve sworn he saw a flash of blonde hair from beneath the hood. 

***

Hinata spent the rest of his afternoon at Yamaguchi’s apartment helping him pick out an outfit for tonight, which meant he wouldn’t see Kageyama till they got to their destination. As Yamaguchi ran back to his closet for the umpteenth time to change, Hinata thought about whether he wanted to see Kageyama there or not. He wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even bother showing up, but a small part of him hoped he would. This might be the chance for them to get to know each other or at least be on speaking terms. He felt guilty for using Kageyama as a convenient shield earlier, but if he saw who he thinks he saw, then it was a necessary act of selfishness. 

“What do you think?”

Hinata realized then that he was staring into space, and his eyes traveled to his friend who was now standing in front of the closet. Yamaguchi had on fitted slacks that were cropped right above his ankles, making his lanky form look even longer. There was a small chain dangling between two belt loops, and above that he had on a halter tank top that was cut just below the belly button, and there was a bit of exposed skin between that and his pants. He was wearing an unbuttoned oversized flannel over the crop top, and with a leather bracelet and earrings, he gave off a casual-but-not-too-casual vibe.

“You look amazing, Yams,” Hinata hoped his smile was genuine enough to calm his friend’s nerves.

“You think? I hope the chain isn’t too much. Do you think Tsukki will like it?”

Ever since they started texting, Hinata was given some details about the man Yamaguchi was meeting with tonight, one being that he went by Tsukki. 

“If he doesn’t I’ll beat him up.”

Yamaguchi hid his face as he giggled.”No offense, but he’s nearly a foot taller than you.”

“I’ll just bite his ankles then.”

That warranted a laugh from his friend, and for the first time in the past 24 hours, Hinata felt relaxed.

***

“No offense, but you look older than 25,” said Tsukki as he took a sip from his beer. Most everyone was gathered around a low table, sitting on the floor. They were at an adult arcade, and right after eating, Kenma made a beeline for the games. Kuroo tagged along with him and at first they played against each other, but after a while it seemed like he more enjoyed watching Kenma play. From where he was sitting, Hinata could see Kuroo standing behind Kenma, his chin resting on the top of Kenma’s head as Kenma looked to be in deep focus with some type of zombie shooting game. Hinata didn’t get the impression that Kenma liked Kuroo from what he saw earlier, but maybe their relationship was complicated. He probably understood that more than anyone else at the table as he looked over at his roommate sitting next to him. While everyone else, who already had a few drinks in them, were sitting cozily besides each other, Noya practically on top of Asahi’s lap, Hinata and Kageyama were sitting stiffly apart from each other. Hinata wondered if he did something to offend Kageyama, because he hardly made eye contact with him the whole night. Maybe he wasn’t used to seeing Hinata in makeup and a skirt, but he wasn’t about to apologize for the way he dressed. If Kageyama had a problem with it, he can keep it to himself. 

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” said Asahi with a shy smile. He was a very timid person, but had a talent for warming up to almost anyone easily enough. The only staff members from Femboy Hooters that couldn’t make it tonight were Suga, Akaashi, and Oikawa, but everyone knew him well enough since him and Noya have been dating for years now and he always picks him up after work. 

More small talk went around the table, Asahi trying to keep up with Tanaka and Noya’s drunken rambles as they switched from one topic to the next in rapid succession. Across the table, Yamaguchi was leaning comfortably in the crook of Tsukki’s arm as they shared drinks. This left Hinata and Kageyama in the middle, looking down silently at their drinks. Hinata figured there was no better time than now to say something.

“I’m sorry, I probably should’ve asked if you drank before inviting you here.”

Kageyama looked down on him, his eyebrows furrowed. “It’s fine. I can still enjoy myself. It’s just that drinking gets in the way of my hobbies.”

“And what would that be?”

“I play recreational volleyball.”

“No way! I used to play volleyball in high school!”, Hinata said, his hands now planted on the floor beside him as he leaned closer to Kageyama. Kageyama was taken aback by the reaction, but didn’t back away.

“What position did you play?”

“I was a decoy…,” Hinata said with a frown. “But! I can jump pretty high so I got to spike a lot of balls in my days. It didn’t happen as often as I would’ve liked, but whenever I got the opportunity to, it was like ‘wham! whoop!’, you know?”

Kageyama didn’t know what he meant, but he was also distracted by the thought of someone as short as Hinata being able to jump high enough to reach the net. Especially in a skirt..

‘Shut up,’ he told himself mentally. 

“Kageyama?”

He realized he was staring down at the smaller boy, who had asked him a question. “Sorry, what?”

“What position do you play?”

“I’m a setter.”

“That explains why your fingers are so calloused,” Hinata said as he held one of Kageyama’s hands in both of his own. That’s when Kageyama realized that Hinata had to be at least be tispy because he looked down at his hand as if it was a moving picture. His small fingers grazed over his calloused palms, and his middle finger was only centimeters away from his pink lips. 

He quickly pulled his hand away and tucked them in his lap. Hinata looked up at him in confusion. 

“I need to use the bathroom,” Hinata said, trying to be as graceful as possible as he stammered away from the table.

‘Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom. I’m going to the bathroom,’ Hinata sang to himself in his head, mostly to calm his nerves. For a second there, it seemed like he might’ve had a breakthrough with Kageyama that was once again instantly stomped out. 

‘How come I can never get through with that guy?’, he thought as he opened a stall door. He seemed to be the only one in the bathroom. ‘We don’t have to be best friends but why does he always shut me out. Maybe I’m too drunk to tell, but I can’t think of anything I did wrong back there just now.’

As he was washing his hands, he was too deep in thought to look up when he heard the bathroom door open and close behind him. He was reaching for the paper towel rack when his peripheral caught up with his senses, and he turned to focus his blurry vision on the person now standing in front of him. 

“Hey, baby. It's been a while,” Atsumu smiled down at him. “You move on fast, don't you?”

***

“Akaaaaashiiiiii,” Bokuto whined as he trailed behind the other man’s steps. “Please, babe, I'm begging you! Please go with me to the corporate meeting tomorrow.”

“No, Bokuto-san. I have plans.”

“What plans?!”

“I plan to not be there.”

“C’mon, pleaseeee! The corporate board is so scary and judgemental. I could use your moral support.”

“Go with Suga. He’s the manager, after all.”

“I- I can’t, okay. They think he’s better than me. I look bad in comparison!”

“No. I don’t feel like it.”

“Not even if I buy you a rolex? Or new shoes? I will literally do anything.”

Akaashi stopped walking and cocked an eyebrow at Bokuto. “Anything?”

“Yes,” said Bokuto, his hands grasping together in a pleading notion. He was taken by surprise when Akaashi cupped his hand over his ear, whispering his request. At first he was hopeful that it would be something they could both enjoy, but as the words fell from Akaashi’s mouth, Bokuto’s face blanched and he felt a cold sweat run down his body.

“Nevermind. I’ll go with Suga.”

What Bokuto failed to mention was that the board had already requested for Suga’s presence, but he was afraid to bring someone he considered a friend to see them after what he witnessed the last time he was around those guys. He was at least comforted by the thought that he would be there to watch over him as they faced the people responsible for their livelihood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t find out till I was almost done with this chapter that Asahi’s birthday is actually January 1st 😭. He is a precious New Years gift. Either way, I already pictured this story being set in the late summer so let’s just pretend his birthday is then 🌚.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I wanted to finish, I've been dealing with a lot of stuff in my personal life. But writing has been a fun outlet for me and I'm hoping the next chapter will be done sooner next time. Hope you enjoy :)

-about 3 months ago- 

As Bokuto lifted his head from the sink, he stared at his dripping face in the mirror as he asked himself ‘What am I doing here?’ for what had to have been the tenth time this night. 

“Paper towel?”, said the bathroom attendant. Bokuto graciously accepted it, and tipped the man while he mentally prepared himself to rejoin his group. 

In the center of downtown, Bokuto was in one of the most exclusive bars money could buy. In order to gain entrance to a place like this, one would have to show proof of income or status prior to even standing at the front door. The bathroom attendant held the door open for him and he was greeted with the sight of lush leather booth seats and black marble table tops. As Bokuto made his way back to his booth, he could see through the dim lights men in crisp suits handing their black cards to the bartenders, smoking on cigars, and drowning it down with bottles of liquor that probably cost more than most people’s rent. Bokuto could easily gain entrance to a place like this, but this wasn’t really his scene. Unfortunately for him however, this was where the corporate board chose to go, and he couldn’t really say no to them. 

“Over here, Bokuto!”, Lev shouted as he raised a long arm in the air. He was wearing a deep red suit that made his silver hair shine like nickel. 

‘As if I could forget. We’ve been here for the past two hours’ Bokuto thought to himself. He suppressed his annoyance, reminding himself that out of the three men he was accompanied with tonight, Lev was the least harmful. Being the youngest of the group, and the youngest of the corporate board in company history, Lev was the son of one of Femboy Hooters largest stakeholders. He was an alright kid, but grossly under qualified for the position he was in. Bokuto felt bad for the underpaid interns who, on numerous occasions, have had to fix his mistakes before an important deadline, and often Bokuto would have to stay late to help. 

“Quiet down, you idiot! He could probably see your mug all the way from the bathroom,” said Yaku as he jumped up to bat Lev’s arm down. Despite being an entire foot shorter than Lev, his temper was erratic enough to make the young guy shrivel in his seat. The highest turnover rate from the company came from the staff that worked directly under Yaku. Bokuto has witnessed him bring countless assistants to tears, making him feared by most everyone at the corporate office. Anyone else would at least face some type of disciplinary action at this point, but Yaku was simply too good at his job, so the higher ups always turned a blind eye. Last year alone, he was able to land the company a sponsorship deal for the Olympic volleyball team, and he’s consistently raised the company's profit for the past 5 years. 

“Come sit here, Bokuto-san,” said Daichi as he patted the empty space of the booth next to him, which was farthest away from the other two men. Bokuto hoped it was dark enough to hide how nervous he felt. Daichi didn’t invite him out to places like this often, but when he did it usually came with some strings attached. Bokuto wasn’t on Lev’s level of bad at his job, but he wasn’t perfect. And Daichi wasn’t the type to simply fire someone. He was always thinking two steps ahead and if he wanted to hurt someone, it was always done with a level of forethought that would leave no trace of evidence back to him. 

As he sat down, Daichi handed him a shot glass full of clear liquid. Despite having many drinks tonight, Daichi still appeared to be mostly sober, which made him all the more frightening to be near. 

“Can we join you fellas?,” said a group of girls in skimpy dancing costumes, now standing outside their booth. 

“Sure-,” Lev began to say with a goofy smile when Yaku whacked him in the chest. 

“Let’s ask the boss first,” said Yaku, his stern gaze softening as he turned to Daichi. “What do you say, boss? I mean, they’re already here?” 

His smile made Bokuto feel sick. But as Daichi gave a small nod in approval, Bokuto was grateful for the opportunity to put down the shot glass with no questions asked. All night he’s had to throw the liquor to the back of his shoulder and down the backside of the booth while no one was looking. But now it felt like he was trading off one facade for another, which was pretending to show interest in the girl who was dancing on his lap. He never told any of his coworkers besides Suga that he was gay. He didn’t really care if any of them found out, he just didn’t like these people enough to share anything personal with them. 

“So you’re probably wondering why I asked you out here tonight.” 

Bokuto was momentarily startled. Daichi was a very powerful man but could he also read minds?

“It crosses my mind,” Bokuto said nonchalantly. 

“Your store in the south district, what is the name of the store manager there?” It was almost commendable how casually Daichi can hold a conversation with a woman grinding on his lap. 

“Sugawara?” Why would he be asking about him? Bokuto was preparing all night for the eventual topic of discussion to be about him, but not one of his employees who, from what he understood, was meeting all his performance standards. As professionally as he could, Bokuto immediately went on the defense. “He’s my highest performing store manager. Even though his restaurant has been short staffed for a while now, he’s still been able to outperform all the stores in my district. And that’s impressive considering the population density..”

Bokuto’s rambling was cut short with a casual wave of Daichi’s hand. 

“I’m not here to discuss numbers. I’ve already seen them,” Daichi took a long sip from his glass before he turned his head towards Bokuto. “So, have you hit that already?” 

If Bokuto had a drink, he probably would’ve choked on it by now. He looked over at Yaku and Lev, but between the music and the girls in front of them, they were too distracted to hear what Daichi just said. Bokuto glanced up at their dancers, but it was as if their minds were completely tuned out of their conversation because their faces and bodies didn’t react in the slightest to Daichi’s words. Of course, in a place like this, these women have probably heard more salacious conversations in the past, and have been tipped handsomely to keep quiet. 

“What- no. W-hy would... What would make you think that I’m ..?” Bokuto was taken completely off guard. Him and Suga were both gay bachelors, but they respected each other as friends and never saw each other in that way. 

“That you’re gay? I mean, I had my suspicions but your reaction to the dancers all but confirmed it.” He said it so casually, as if he were reading off a menu. Bokuto was still too shocked by the entirety of this interaction to say anything. Daichi continued, “Either way, doesn’t matter. I was just curious if you’ve gotten a taste of that action before I did.”

With both of his arms propped up on the booth and his glass of scotch in hand , Daichi looked like any other patron at this bar enjoying their time. No one would ever guess the conversation he was having right now. Bokuto could hardly believe it himself. But Daichi knew that, and Bokuto played right into his hand. 

“Um....Sir? What about Yui?”, he was referring to Daichi’s wife. He had only met her a handful of times but she seemed like a nice woman. 

“She’s the problem,” Daichi rested his knuckles under his chin. “I had to transfer my last branch manager because she almost caught me with her. She said if she caught me one more time, she’s leaving and taking the kids. And now she won’t stop making ‘surprise visits’ to my office every week. I figured if I hired a man, she’d stop being so suspicious.”

Bokuto was in shock, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the words coming out of Daichi’s mouth or the way he said them with such causality. Again he was at a loss for words but Daichi spoke up before he could. 

“I’m telling you all this out of courtesy. You should start looking for a new store manager. I know how hard it is to find decent workers in such a lowly area like that,” the bastard had the nerve to scoff. “And I think it goes without saying that this stays between us. This doesn’t just involve you now. If you tell Sugawara, him losing his job will be the least of your worries.”

Bokuto’s fists were shaking with rage but he knew he couldn’t make a scene in a place like this. There was security everywhere and he didn’t want the girls getting mixed up in the mess if he started a fight. Instead he bit back much crueler words as he said through clenched teeth, “So you just expect me to hand him off to you like some prized pig? He’s a person. And he cares deeply about the company you represent, _sir_. You’re willing to jeopardize that for an affair? What makes you think he’d even be interested.”

He said the last part more as a statement than a question. In the years he’s known Suga, he knew how kind and genuine he was. And although he never asked about his dating life, he knew he would never go for someone as arrogant as the man beside him. 

“Money talks. You of all people should know that. Look where we are,” he waved his hands out between the dancers waist, indicating the entirety of the club. So many rich men loosened up and in a state of bliss, while Bokuto never felt more wound up in his life. 

Daichi clapped a hand down on Bokuto’s knee as if they were pals. “It’d be a shame if I’d have to make the executive decision to shut down the entire restaurant because you can’t keep your mouth shut. Then where will our little Sugawara end up?” 

Daichi was grinning as he placed a cigar in his mouth. He began the process of lighting it while Bokuto stared down at him with as much scorn as he could. Daichi let out a long puff in the air and tilted his head towards Bokuto. “I bet you’re done for the night. Say goodbye to the others and go home. We’ll talk soon.” 

His hands still had a slight tremor as he handed the dancer a couple hundred dollar bills. She started to ask if he wanted another dance but Bokuto headed straight for the door. He couldn’t get out of there any sooner. 

Once he was outside, Bokuto started walking with no real direction in mind. He just needed to be far away from where he was. He kept a steady pass while navigating through the crowds of people as they were club hopping, and eventually the sidewalks and streets were becoming less crowded. He was at the end of the curb and there weren’t any more street lights. He figured at this point he should just call a cab. As he pulled out his phone, he took a couple steps forward to read the street coordinate he was on. To the side of him, he saw a shabby neon sign hung against the inside of the window to a rundown building. He assumed with the lack of people around that most of these businesses were long shut down, but this place appeared to be open. Looking through the window, he could see a man slouched over the bar, an empty beer mug beside him. A slender hand wrapped around the handle and plucked it from the counter. The owner of the hand placed the mug in the sink and rinsed it down before putting it in a container that looked like a cleaning solution. It was such a simple task, but Bokuto didn’t realize he was staring until he felt the tip of his nose touch the cold glass of the front window. He looked side to side to see if anyone had caught him staring, but in spite of the darkness, the silence was enough to tell him that he was the only one here. 

Bokuto looked back inside. It appeared that the bartender didn’t notice the voyeurism either, as he stretched his arms in the air. Time seemed to slow down as two slender arms stretched up in the air, the fingers interlocked as the palms stretched towards the ceiling. He tilted his head to the side towards Bokuto’s direction, but his eyes were closed, dark lashes fanned out across impossibly high cheekbones. As his arms started to descend, his shoulder blades rippled under his shirt, and when his hands rested on the counter, time felt like it had picked back up. It was such a normal motion, but Bokuto felt like he witnessed a migrating bird stretching its wings after finally landing at their destination. He had never seen anything so beautiful. 

His body reacted before his mind did and he opened the door to the bar. For a moment he thought that the man had disappeared, a figment of his imagination that he conjured up in his head. But as he stepped closer to the counter, he could see that the bartender was actually crouched down, putting empty bottles away in a bin. His heart momentarily relaxed, grateful to whatever gods out there that this creature was real, for he was like a culmination of all the beautiful things he’s seen in his life with a mix of untapped beauty that has yet to be discovered. Then he looked up at him. 

Bokuto thought that after the night he had that nothing could shock him, but as those gunmetal blue eyes made contact with him, he felt everything inside him shatter. He hoped that his composure on the outside was calm, because inside there was a sea of emotions he never had before and he wasn’t sure if he should be elated or afraid. Those eyes were a maze he never wanted to find his way out of. 

“Hi. What can I get for you?” 

***

“You seemed pretty chatty a minute ago. You got my note, right? You should’ve been expecting me.”

Although he was smiling, Hinata could see in Atsumu’s eyes that it was not genuine. Not that most anything that came from this man was genuine. This was one of many expressions he has seen on Atsumu, except this time he knew what was really behind that fox’s face.

“You know….,” Atsumu put one hand on the sink counter as he leaned into Hinata, “If you unblocked me, this would’ve saved you a lot of trouble.”

Hinata was trying to keep his cool, but his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. He left his phone at the table, not that he could pull it out with Atsumu this close to him. Other than the hand besides him, Atsumu still kept a body’s width space between them. But his eyes were racking up and down Hinata’s body, and it made him feel more exposed than being naked.

“It's already bad enough the way you dumped me, then you go and block me on everything and I have to resort to this just to talk to you. I'm starting to think you're just a bad communicator. I mean, isn't that a skill you need in order to be a good waiter-”

“What the FUCK do you want from me, Atsumu!”

Atsumu’s hand clamped down over Hinata’s mouth. He tried to reach up to pull it away, but another arm was wrapped around him, holding his arms and torso in place. It was enough force to make Hinata’s eyes squint, but the grip wouldn’t leave any mark. Hinata knew that all too well.

The smile was gone now, replaced with a look of pure frustration. Atsumu held him like that for a moment till he spat out, “Don’t act fucking dumb. You know why I’m here. Now where did you put my ring?”

Hinata squirmed in his grasp, but it was useless. Atsumu pressed his hips against Hinata’s, now completely immobilizing him against the sink. Atsumu continued, “Maybe we can take a drive back to your place and I can take it back. Or did you sell it? Is that how you could afford this little outfit you got on?”

With as much force as he could muster, Hinata swung back his foot and kicked Atsumu in the shin. He let out a groan through shut eyes, and when they opened back up, they were flooded with nothing but rage. He pulled Hinata off the sink, still keeping his grip around him. Hinata was flaying his legs around, trying to get a grip on the floor but Atsumu was practically carrying him at this point. It took him a moment to realize that he was heading towards one of the bathroom stalls. 

Hinata tried to grab the outer edge of the stall, but Atsumu yanked his body away from it. His grip only loosened momentarily as he shoved Hinata into the stall and he made an ungraceful landing on the toilet. Atsumu had his hands on either side of the entrance of the stall, effectively blocking him in. His chest was rising up and down as his eyes bore into Hinata.

“You’ve wasted enough of my time. Now where is it? Is it in there?”, he pointed at Hinata’s cropped jean jacket. Atsumu stepped forward and started a rough pat down of his jacket before digging his hands into the pockets.

“No, stop! Why would I have it on me now?! Get off of me!”

Hinata heard a gasp from Atsumu as he was suddenly freed from his grasp. Atsumu’s eyes were wide with shock as he was pulled by the back of his hoodie out of the stall. Atsumu barely had time to gain his stance when two fists were balled up his collar, yanking him forward. 

“Hinata, get out,” said Kageyama. He could only see the back of his head, but his tone of voice sent shivers down Hinata’s spine. Kageyama was usually pretty serious, but right now he sounded lethal. He pushed himself off the toilet and ran towards the other side of the bathroom, once again at the sink. 

For a moment, the two men stared into each other, seemingly fighting with their eyes more than their hands. Then Atsumu’s hands shot up to free himself from Kageyama’s grasp, but Kageyama swung them both around and pushed Atsumu into the stall. Astumu stumbled backwards, the back of his legs hitting the toilet as he made an awkward landing. Hinata could see Kageyama’s temple throbbing when he said, “Don’t you ever touch him again.”

Atsumu’s eyes were on fire as he stood up, gearing up to charge at Kageyama. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but this is none of your fucking concern-.”

Before he could exit the stall, Kageyama slammed the door shut in Atsumu’s face and Hinata couldn’t cover his ears in time to mute the sound of crunching bones. The door opened back up with reverberation, and now there was blood pouring out of Atsumu’s nose. He was in too much shock and pain to move, and Hinata barely registered Kageyama’s hand around his wrist as he led him out the bathroom. Hinata knew that there were heads turning in their direction as they made their way out the arcade, but he was still processing what just happened. Now they were out on the street and Hinata was nearly running to keep up with Kageyama’s long strides. Kageyama turned down an alleyway when Hinata finally had the breath to say, “Where are we going?!”

Kageyama stopped and turned to Hinata, his expression stern. “Did he hurt you anywhere?”

Now Hinata was angry. “No, I’m fine. I could have handled this myself if you didn’t bulldoze in there like a psychopath!”

“Really?”Kageyama's tone is a mix of calm rage and sarcasm. “Because it looked to me like he was going to hurt you while you just sat there.”

Hinata’s ears were pulsing red. “I did not just sit there! I was fighting back up until you decided to show up and make it your business-“

“Actually, I’m pretty sure it was you who made this my business when you hid behind me like a scared little cat earlier. I saw him at my job. And I’m guessing he's the one who left you this,” Kageyama pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket. The note.

Hinata’s mouth dropped open. “Yo- You went through my room?!”

“I was looking for my flash drive that you never bothered to return. I wasn’t going to press about it, but you were acting weird at my job, and I knew you didn’t actually want me here tonight, but I figured I needed to come in case something happened. And it looks like I was right.” 

Hinata’s heart was still pounding through his chest, but this time it wasn’t out of anger. He looked down at the ground, suddenly feeling shy. “I… I did want you here tonight.”

Kageyama seemed to be expecting a defense, but was surprised by Hinata’s words as his shoulders softened and his eyebrow raised. Hinata continued, “I thought... tonight we could actually have a real conversation and get to know each other instead of just fighting, but I somehow mess that up too. I can’t even go to the bathroom without causing trouble and I-.”

Hinata’s words were cut short when he was suddenly yanked forward, his hands and face resting on Kageyama’s chest as he felt his arms wrap around him. The embrace was both tight and gentle. Out of everything that happened tonight, this was what he least expected. 

Kageyama dipped his head down so his mouth was beside Hinata’s ear. “This isn’t your fault, stupid.”

They stayed like that for what felt like a long time, the only sounds being the cars driving past the street and the occasional drip from a nearby faucet. Hinata liked the way his head felt on Kageyama’s chest, but he tilted his chin up, remembering something. “I left my phone at the table.”

Even though to anyone else, Kageyama might have looked angry at that moment, Hinata could see in his eyes that he wasn’t actually that upset. His nose was scrunched when he said, “C’mon, dumbass.”

***

“Are you sure you can’t come inside?”

Bokuto looked at Akasshi as he stood at his doorway. He so badly wanted to forget about work, curl his hands in Akaashi’s hair and pull him into a kiss, but he knew that if he allowed himself any distractions, he wouldn’t get anything done. Instead he planted a kiss on Akaashi’s cheek and said, “Sorry, babe. I gotta prepare for that meeting tomorrow.”

Akaashi let out a soft sigh and said, “Fair enough. Goodnight, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto waited to hear the click of Akaashi’s door lock before he headed towards his car. It was dark outside but the stars were out, and it reminded him of the night he met Akaashi, and the promise he made to himself. The promise that he would protect the people he cared about. And right now, he needed to find a way to protect Suga.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the tags before starting this chapter! This one gets darker.

As the elevator made its slow ascend to the top floor, Bokuto didn’t realize how strung out he was till he felt a hand on his shoulder. It almost made him jump, but was immediately met by a winning smile from the owner of the hand. 

“Calm down, Bokuto. I’m sure whatever we’re here for is ultimately positive.”

That only made Bokuto more uneasy. But he managed a half smile as the elevator doors opened. They were met with the sight of floor to ceiling glass walls that gave view of the entire city, some of the buildings looking microscopic from this height. About 20 feet from the elevator was a wide front desk stretching across almost the entire lobby. The black marble floors had to be cool to the touch, but as they made their way to the concierge, Bokuto felt like he was walking on a bed of hot coal. 

The receptionist perked up as she saw them approaching. “Bokuto and Sugawara? The boss is waiting for you.” She motioned towards the door to her right. It was a tall door that nearly reached the ceiling and looked like it was made of solid steel. However, it was surprisingly light weight as Bokuto opened it for Suga. Inside was a huge office, and the wall opposite to them was made with the same floor to ceiling glass as the lobby. The other two walls were composed entirely of bookshelves, mostly filled with books with a few glass cased trophies and accolades in the mix. There were sofas and lush carpets atop the hard wood floors, and at the opposite side of where the two men were standing was a desk with a leather chair behind it. Sugawara was still marveling over the room when the chair turned around. 

“Welcome gentleman,” said Daichi as he stood up. He was in a fitted black suit with a white button up and a slim black tie. They all met at the halfway point of the room when they stopped in front of each other. 

“Bokuto-San,” Daichi acknowledged graciously before he turned his attention to Suga. He gave a slight bow before he said, “And Sugawara. It’s nice to finally meet you. It’s a shame that I can’t meet all the store managers, but I hope today makes up for it.”

Suga returned the bow but still seemed a bit awestruck by the environment he was in right now. Bokuto has been in this office a handful of times, but still found it quite intimidating. 

“No need to apologize, sir. I’m sure you’re a busy man. And please, call me Suga.”

“Suga,” Daichi confirmed, with a handsome smile as he looked into Suga’s soft brown eyes. Bokuto wasn’t sure but he could’ve sworn Suga had a slight blush to his cheeks. He didn’t get to ponder on it for too long as Daichi guided them towards his desk and said, “Please, have a seat.”

Daichi took a seat in front of them at his desk as he shuffled some papers around. “The reason I wanted to meet with you, Bokuto-San, is because I’d like to further discuss what I mentioned to you at our last meeting.”

Bokuto would hardly consider a night of drinking and strippers a meeting but he knew Daichi would conveniently leave that out. Daichi continued,”I’m not sure if he’s told you yet, Suga, but your location has been our top performing branch for the past... 5 months now.”

“Oh, that’s...amazing...,” Suga said with genuine surprise. “No, he didn’t tell me. Bokuto, why didn’t you tell me?”

Bokuto couldn’t meet him in the eyes but luckily Daichi intercepted with, “It’s quite impressive. You broke a company record.”

“Ah, well, we couldn’t have done it without our exemplary employees. They deserve all the credit, not me,” said Suga with a bashful smile. 

“On the contrary, Bokuto-San accredited a great deal of the restaurant’s success to your management skills and dedication. The results of our sales analysis supports that.” 

Daichi leaned forward in his desk, his long fingers interlocked in front of him. The way he looked at Suga made Bokuto feel like they were the only two in the room, and that Bokuto was merely observing from a one way window. Suga still seemed a bit nervous, but his eyes were only on Daichi’s. 

“In fact, my superiors and I are so impressed that we’d like to offer you a promotion,” said Daichi. “A job here at corporate, as a branch manager. You’d be working closely alongside me while also helping us train and guide managers of new locations. The pay is good and you’ll make your own hours.” 

“Oh....wow, that’s an incredible opportunity...,” Suga said, his eyes darting back and forth. “I’m flattered.”

“I’ll give you some time to think about it,” said Daichi, his poker face giving off nothing but patience and warmth. “Now, on another note, let’s discuss the...”

After about an hour of going over future inspections and events, Daichi called an end to the meeting and thanked them for coming out on such short notice. Suga excused himself to the bathroom, which was out in the lobby, leaving Bokuto alone with Daichi. Bokuto turned to make a quick exit but was stopped when he heard, “Bokuto-San, hold on for a moment.”

Bokuto silently cursed to himself as he turned to face his boss. “Yes, sir.

“It seems you did well with keeping our last discussion covert. Suga seemed genuinely surprised by our topic of discussion today. You should be expecting a bonus in your next paycheck.”

This made Bokuto’s blood boil, but he kept his tone neutral. “I’m going to have to politely decline. I don’t feel comfortable taking money for something like....”

“For what?” Daichi’s eyes were suddenly fiery, and although he was smiling it felt like a threat. “I gave you a task and you completed it. It’s only proper that you be compensated for it. If anything, think of it as an incentive to convince Suga to take the job. Not that I see any reason for him to turn it down. I think he was really starting to warm up to me...”

Bokuto’s temple was throbbing but he tried to control his reactions as Daichi sauntered over, clasping a hand on his shoulder as his face got closer to his ear. “And if he is able to perform to my liking, there will be many more bonuses in the future. So you better get used to it now.” 

There was a click from across the room as the door opened. Suga poker his head through and said, “Are you ready, Bokuto?” 

Bokuto swallowed and said steadily, “Yes.”

“Let me walk you gentlemen out,” said Daichi, loosening his iron grip on Bokuto’s shoulder. 

Once outside, Daichi pressed the elevator button and turned to Suga as they waited for the elevator. He pulled out a black business card with gold calligraphy printed on the front. “If you have any questions about the position, feel free to call. My personal cell is on there too.” 

“Thank you, sir,” Suga beamed up at him. As the elevator doors opened, Bokuto felt like they were looking at each other for a few moments too long. They said their last goodbyes as the elevator doors closed, and when Bokuto looked to the side, he saw Suga staring down at the card, his eyes wide and cheeks flushed. Of all the outcomes he thought this meeting would come to, he didn’t expect this. 

***

“How much longer do I have to do this?”

“Noth lawng. Pouwr thlower,” Tendou said while syrup poured in and around his mouth. 

Kageyama wasn’t sure how he ended up like this, but somehow Tendou had convinced him to stand over him with a syrup bottle in hand, pouring it into his mouth while he took selfies. Luckily it was late and there were no customers in the restaurant to witness this, but that would’ve at least given Kageyama an excuse to decline. However, Tendou had a way of convincing (or maybe scaring) people into doing what he wants, which is what led Kageyama to this moment. 

“Oy! Kageyama! Stop pouring the syrup on Tendou!!” said Kuroo, who had just come from the kitchen. 

‘Gladly,’ he said under his breath. 

“Thank you, Kageyama, I think I got the shot. Wakatoshi is gonna love this,” said Tendou, already in the process of sending the selfies to his boyfriend. Kageyama had mutual relations with Tendou’s boyfriend since he also played recreational volleyball. Kageyama didn’t want to be one to judge, but he didn’t know how someone like those two ended up together. If Wakatoshi was a sun shower, Tendou was a hurricane. But he supposed the statement ‘opposites attract’ applied to them. 

Across the restaurant, Sakusa walked over to Kiyoko when he said, “Hey, I’m gonna start cleaning for the night. Where’s the windex?”

“In the storage closet.”

Sakusa made his way to the back of the restaurant and opened the storage closet with a gloved hand. He could hear muffled voices as he opened the door and could see a figure in the back of the unlit room. What was one figure was actually two; Osamu’s back to Sakusa as Suna had his legs wrapped around his torso. Osamu had Suna pressed against one of the shelving units, seemingly in a feverish embrace with Osamu’s head buried in Suna’s neck. Looking towards the sudden light source, the two stared down Sakusa like bats in a cave. 

“...Can you pass the windex?”

Before any of them could respond, Kageyama entered the room saying, “Hey where are those one wipes? I need to get syrup off the floor before Kiyoko sees...”

He stopped when he saw the position Osamu and Suna were in, and turned his head to hide his burning cheeks. 

“Put me down ‘Samu,” said Suna. He untangled his legs from Osamu’s waist and grabbed a windex bottle from behind him, handing it to Sakusa. 

“Don’t you guys live together?” said Sakusa. 

“We do, but we have guests over right now,” said Suna, his eyes instinctually darting to Kageyama before looking at the ground. It was enough for him to know who he was talking about. 

Sakusa rolled his eyes as he swiftly left for his task, and Suna adjusted his apron as he walked out the room. Kageyama stood awkwardly at the doorway as Osamu was making his exit. 

“I....,” Kageyama started without even thinking. “I’m sorry if I caused you trouble. But I was protecting someone from him.”

“I know,” his downward expression basically unchanged. “He won’t tell me exactly what happened, but I’m sure he deserved it.”

Kageyama gave a slight nod, pondering over what he wanted to say next. “I know they have a history, but do you know why he did it?” 

Osamu looked him up and down before saying, “It’s not really my story to tell. If you want to know, ask Hinata. But go easy on him. He’s been through a lot.” 

Osamu walked out without another word, leaving Kageyama to think over his words. He almost forgot what he initially came here for when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Behind him was Tendou and he was holding out his phone for Kageyama to look. 

“He already responded!” 

Under the half a dozen photos Tendou had sent, with variations of peace signs and seductive looks as his tongue stuck out to catch the dripping syrup, was a single text for Wakatoshi. It was a thumbs up emoji and nothing else. 

“Is that it?”, said Kageyama, confused. 

“Yes. That means he really likes them!” 

Still confused, Kageyama nodded in agreeance and turned to get the wipes. 

—-

When Kageyama got home, Hinata was sitting on the floor hunched over the coffee table, his back facing the door. When he heard the door open, he turned his head toward his roommate. 

“Hey,” Hinata said with a small smile. 

“Hey.”

There was a moment of awkward silence between them. After what happened yesterday, they had to return to the arcade to retrieve Hinata’s phone. They were certain that Atsumu had left after what happened, but Hinata didn’t want to risk running into him again, so they made an excuse to leave early. Luckily, the table that their group were sitting at was far from the bathroom, so they didn’t witness them running out like some of the other guests had. They drove home together in silence, and when they got to their apartment, Hinata immediately went to shower and locked himself in his room. What happened in the alleyway was Kageyama’s best attempt at comfort, which he thought he at least did an okay job at, however he figured at that point Hinata needed some space to recover from what happened. That left them with the present, and they hadn’t seen each other all day, so Kageyama wasn’t sure what to say or do. 

Hinata stood up, a bashful look on his face. He was wearing a baggy t-shirt that was cropped just above the hem of his loose shorts. The outfit was casual but still appealing to the eye, unintentionally making Kageyama look at the small of his waist. 

‘He really does dress for the job he has,’ Kageyama thought as he turned his head away. 

“I thought I could help you with volleyball practice today. If you want! It’s been a while for me, so I might be a bit rusty but I need an excuse to get some fresh air,” said Hinata, scratching the back of his head. 

The thought that he was in this room alone all day made Kageyama sad, but he didn’t want to make it seem like he pitied him, so he nodded and went to go change. When he stepped out, he was in a tight navy athletic shirt and black shorts, and reached for the volleyball in his duffel bag. They walked to the small recreation center in their apartment complex. It was located outside and was equipped with its own small volleyball net, two tennis courts and a basketball hoop. Kageyama would occasionally come out here for solo practice but preferred the nets at his gym. 

When they got to the volleyball court, it was already dark outside but there were two pole lights on either side of the court. Kageyama figured he’d go easy on Hinata, but as they went back and forth with tossing the ball while slowly stepping backwards and forwards, he was surprised by his agility. 

Without losing eye contact with the ball, Hinata said, “I actually met Atsumu through volleyball.”

Kageyama caught the ball and held it in front of his chest with still hands. He thought back to the words Osamu told him earlier. 

“You don’t have to tell me about him if you don’t want to.” 

“It’s ok. I’m sure you’re curious, and you deserve to know. It doesn’t hurt as much to talk about him as it used to.” 

Kageyama gave a slow nod, gently tossing the ball back to Hinata as he began to speak... 

_I actually really loved volleyball from a young age, but the middle school I went to didn’t have an official team, so I’d beg players from other teams to temporarily join the club so we could compete at matches. In my last year of middle school, my makeshift team barely made it to the 10 minute mark of our first match before we were defeated by our opponents. It didn’t help that our first match was with an elite team that was destined to be national regulars when they get to high school. Of course I felt defeated, but I figured no one would remember that game. When I got to high school and tried out for the volleyball team, their setter, who was a grade above me pointed me out amongst the other freshmen and said he would only set for me. He was present at that game and was impressed by my jumping skills and said I had a lot of potential. I guess that was the first time I ever felt... special. My technique skills were severely lacking but I wanted to prove to him that I was worth setting for. We practiced together nearly every day and in the two years he was there, our team got to go to nationals. It wasn’t until he graduated that I realized I had feelings for him, but I figured he was entering the real world and wouldn’t want to date a high schooler anyway. He joined a college team right after high school, but either then that, I didn’t know what he was up to. Eventually I graduated, and although I loved volleyball, I wasn’t what recruiters were looking for, so I couldn’t get any scholarships, and at the time I needed to work to support my family, so I joined the workforce right out of high school. At the time I was working various bartending jobs, and with the newfound freedom I had with being out of high school, I became more comfortable with my sexuality. I learned that I liked dressing more feminine, and the places I worked at weren’t near the local schools so I figured I’d never run into anyone I knew. But one night, I ran into Atsumu while he was out with his team. They had just won a big match and were celebrating. I figured he didn’t even remember me, but he recognized me right away. But that time he looked at me differently. He no longer saw me as the mentee who needed guidance, and with my new look I could tell there was instant attraction. We ended up talking the whole night, catching up on our lives past high school, and he told me that night how he just won a prize of a solid gold ring for best setter in his prefecture. He said it felt like destiny to meet me on such a special day like this and once again I was filled with that familiar feeling of being special to him. Soon after, we started dating and things were great. During his off season, if he wasn’t training, he would spend his time with me and we eventually moved in together. I was comfortable with the routine we built, but once it was volleyball season again, it’s like his whole mood switched. He was very controlling, and didn’t know how to leave things on the court. If he felt like his team didn’t score as many points as they could have during a practice match, he would find a way to take his frustration out on me and cause a fight. He even convinced me to quit my jobs and stay at home so I could be there for him when he needed support. At the time I felt like I was being a good boyfriend, but after a while I felt trapped. It’s like my life had to revolve around him or I’d lose everything. The tipping point came when he got into a fist fight with his twin in the middle of a game. This caused a huge uproar and ended up getting the team disqualified from any further matches for the rest of the school year. Both of the brothers were kicked off the team and got their scholarships taken away, but Osamu said that he had been done with volleyball for a long time now, and only felt bad that their fight affected the rest of the team. Atsumu was a different story. After the school gave him his punishment, I didn’t see him for 3 days. No one knew where he went and I was worried sick. On top of that, I was starting to get notifications that there were outstanding bills and we were at risk of getting evicted. I didn’t know what else to do, so I called Osamu. He told me to come to his job before closing. When I got there, I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t a big stack of cash._

_“Wh-where did you get this?!”_

_“It depends, are you gonna tell ‘Samu.”_

_“I...I don’t know.”_

_“Then I can’t tell you.”_

_“Why are you doing this?”_

_“Because I know what he’s been doing to you ever since you guys moved in together and I was too much of a coward to say anything. But I’m done being in his shadow and I’m done watching him hurt people. Do you have anywhere you can stay for now?”_

_“I can stay at a friend’s place for a couple of days.” Yamaguchi was a friend of mine who had quit his bartending job to be a waiter. We still stayed in touch up until the point where Atsumu made me quit my job and insisted for all my time to be dedicated to him. I felt bad thinking about asking Yamaguchi for help when I basically ghosted him, but I knew he was kind and wouldn’t ask too many questions._

_“That should be enough time. I know someone who is looking for a roommate, and I can help you meet him.”_

_I looked down at the money. It was enough for a deposit and a few months of rent. Enough time for me to find a job and settle down. But even though I knew it was wrong to think, I didn’t know if I was ready to give up the life I had with Atsumu. During those last few months leading up to the fight, the happy moments were far and few inbetween, but he always knew the right things to say to make me feel like I was on top of the world again. And I wasn’t sure if I was ready to lose that feeling forever._

_Osamu must’ve known what I was thinking as he placed his hands over mine and said, “I know how he makes you feel, but you were great before you met him, and you’ll be great without him. He has been holding you back for a long time now, and it’s time that you grow without him.”_

_I couldn’t help but cry at that moment. After I calmed down, Osamu instructed me to call my friend and go home and pack my essentials, and he would try to get the rest of my stuff later. Yamaguchi agreed to take me in, no questions asked, and I drove back to the apartment. When I got there, everything looked the same as how I left it, and I started packing. I stuffed my backpack with a couple days worth of clothes, my laptop, and important documents. I was almost out the door when I heard the sound of glass breaking in the kitchen._

_“Where do you think you’re going?”_

_I was petrified, and I could tell he was drunk by the way he was slouched over the kitchen counter. His breathing was heavy and his eyes burned holes right through me. My hand was on the doorknob, but I was frozen in place._

_“It’s over, Atsumu,” I declared._

_“What’s over?”_

_“This facade of a relationship. You don’t treat me like an equal.” I cursed myself for letting my voice crack._

_“Facade? Equal? As if I haven’t been taking care of you for all these months,’” he said as he stumbled around the counter, slowly making his way towards me._

_“You made me quit my job! I didn’t want any of this! I was doing fine for myself until you… you made me into nothing!”_

_He was standing in front of me at that point, his cool glaze too frightening for me to move. He was drunk but he said too casually, “I hate to break it to you, baby, but you were fucking nothing when I found you at that bar. You were just cheap eye candy used to squeeze tips out of older men and I was the one to take you out of that. I’m starting to think that I’m the idiot for trusting a little slut like you!-”_

_His arm swung out, but his aim was sloppy enough that I was able to step out of the way in time to see him fall and crash to the floor. My back was against the wall and my heart was pounding against my chest as I looked down at him. His back was still moving but he was knocked out cold. His words could be cruel at times, but he never tried to lay a hand on me like that before. But this was what Osamu had warned me about. And actually seeing it gave me the courage to turn and run out the apartment._

_After that, I got hundreds of calls and texts from him, but I ignored them. Eventually I got so annoyed with it that I blocked him on everything I could think of. Yamaguchi had a general idea of what happened, but I wasn’t ready to talk about what happened that night. He helped me get a job at the place he was working at, and at first I was constantly looking over my shoulders, but as I got to know the staff better, the more comfortable I got. After a while, Osamu reached out to me about my new roommate and…_

“... and well, you know the rest.”

Kageyama was standing almost exactly in the same position he was in before Hinata spoke, except now the ball was rested in both his hands by his hips. All he could do was look at Hinata, someone who almost always had a smile on his face. Except for when he was around him. Just that thought alone made a pang of guilt wash over him. Hinata just needed a good support system, and instead he let his control issues get the best of him and let it fall into a habit of petty arguing. But knowing what he knows now, how can he mend this without it seeming like he's only being nice to him out of pity?

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a raindrop fall on the ball in front of him. There was another one, then another one. And within seconds, sheets of rain were pouring over them. Off the court, there was a small storage room that was just off the path of the recreation center. The roofing allowed enough space for them to duck under, just barely being shielded by the rain. They were facing each other, looking out as thunder striked in the distance. It was as if mother nature was having a mood swing.

Hinata was standing at the edge of the building and he felt rain drops fall on top of his head and drip down his back, soaking his t-shirt. Kageyama placed a hand on the top of his head, pushing him forward and away from the water source. Hinata looked up at him, hair slightly flopped over his eyes. Kageyama looked down, his head still but his eyes traveling over Hinata’s soft face, the tilt of his eyes, and the curve of his lips. Before he knew what he was doing, the volleyball dropped from his other hand and his fingers captured the tip of Hinata’s chin, pulling it slightly upwards. When his brain caught up to what he was doing, he started to pull his face away.

“Please...,” said Hinata, his breathing shallow. “I want you to.”

Kageyama looked deep into his eyes for any trace of hesitation, but he couldn’t find any. He finally succumbed to the feeling that had been haunting him for days now and pressed his lips to Hinata’s. At first it was soft, their lips a ghost of a whisper on each other, but as Hinata stood on his toes and wrapped his arms around Kageyama, he couldn’t hold back anymore. He curled his hands in the soft orange hair, and his other hand rested on the part of Hinata’s back that the shirt left exposed, now slightly wet from the rain. 

Hinata couldn’t describe what he felt while kissing Kageyama, but he knew it was different from his ex. It wasn’t a firework, dazzling and short lived. But rather a fluid wave of a dark sea, something that felt endless and that he could comfortably get lost in forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know kisses in the rain are kinda cheesy but I thought it fit them perfectly lsjldfjir. I feel bad for making Daichi and Atsumu villains but its also fun to write. Also who else is excited for season 4 returning :D I'm most excited to see more animated Suna, wby?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to those who are iwaoi starved. Enjoy <3

At this time of night when it was creeping towards closing hours and customers were making their way out the door, Kenma would often take it upon himself to whip out his phone and play some app games to pass the time till the end of his shift. Right now he was playing a game that made you navigate a spaceship through varying degrees of floating waste, the objective being to not hit anything till you make it to your destination. The game starts off with a surprising level of difficulty but after two failed attempts, Kenma was able to break his highest record and was now at the point where the ship was speeding so fast, the meteors and aliens zooming past it looked more like blurs of pixels. The top right corner said he was 10 seconds away from reaching his destination when he felt a shadow cast over him. He didn’t look up until he heard a deep voice say, “Your level of concentration is impressive, Kenma.”

With 2 seconds on the clock, his ship crashed into a UFO and whirled off the track. ‘Game over’ flashed on the screen as an alien tugged its eyelid down from the one giant eye on the middle of its head as it stuck a forked tongue out in a taunting manner. 

Kenma took a deep breath as he turned his phone screen off. “What are you doing here, you rooster bitch?”

Kuroo leaned slightly against the counter, grinning as if he wasn’t just insulted. “That’s no way to greet a customer.”

“Unless you’re here to bring me McDonald’s, Kuroo, I don’t give a-.”

The man beside Kuroo, who Kenma remembered as the guy he helped Yamaguchi match up with, gave an obviously fake cough into his fist. “Is Yamaguchi working today?”

“Yeah. Are you two still screwing, or-”

“KENMA YOU CAN’T JUST-”, Kuroo started before he was interrupted by a loud gasp that came behind Kenma, nearly making him drop his phone. When he turned around, Yamaguchi had a shocked expression on his face as the kitchen door swung back and forth behind him.

“Tsukki!!” Yamaguchi beamed. He was usually very timid, but standing just feet away from the tall blonde, his eyes were wide with joy as he flashed a big smile. His freckled cheeks were burning red as he ran into Tsukki’s arms.

“Tadashi,” the man said fondly as he wrapped his arms around Yamaguchi’s waist. His smile was small, but it was the fondest expression, or rather most expressive expression, Kenma has seen this man wear since he met him. The two were talking quietly as they stayed in their embrace, completely oblivious to the staff members that were witnessing their gushing affection. 

“Now how come they can be all lovey dovey, but when Iwa-chan comes here, it’s a problem,” said Oikawa, his long arms sprawled across the counter as he observed the two love birds from across the restaurant. 

“Iwaizumi isn’t the problem, Oikawa. You are. Last time he was here, you offered to give him a lap dance in the middle of the restaurant,” Sugawara said, not looking up from the stack of receipts he was counting.

“That’s just good customer service,” Oikawa flashed a grin. 

“We’re not that kind of restaurant.”

“But just imagine the tips.”

Suga simply shook his head as he picked up his calculator. 

“Alsooo...,” said Oikawa as he came up behind Suga and loosely wrapped his arms around his neck. “Have you made your decision yet? If you’re gonna take that promotion from corporate?” 

“Nope. Why? Are you gonna miss me?” At this point, he put a pause to his task. Really, he should’ve known better than to think he could get any work done around Oikawa. 

“Of course not. Nope. I would never!” Oikawa said facetiously. He dropped his arms, his back and hands now leaned against the counter as he faced Suga. In a more serious tone he said, “We’d all be sad to see you go but, ultimately, it’s your decision and yours alone. It’s a good opportunity. I say go for it.”

Suga thought back to the meeting he had with Daichi and Bokuto, which was now over a week ago. The way the glass walls looked out onto the city made him feel like he was in a fish bowl. After years of busting his ass, moving up from dish washer to server to hostess to manager, he never really thought of the possibility that he could be offered to work in a place like that. Or rather, his current job didn’t grant him the time to think of that. The prospect of change was as thrilling as much as it was also terrifying. He wouldn’t just be moving up at the same place, he’d be entering a whole new world of suits and ties, a place he never pictured himself belonging to. From depictions in movies, to some of the rants Bokuto had him sit through, Suga knew it wasn’t what it was all cracked up to be. But maybe he can learn to become accustomed to it. And maybe Daichi would help him along the way...

“Maybe,” he said to Oikawa. 

“You’ll make the right choice, Suga-chan.” 

Oikawa gave him an affirming pat on the back as he walked away. Suga was grateful for the support, but he desperately needed to get his work done or he’d have to stay late again. As he walked back to his office with his hands full, he passed by the framed photo of him, Bokuto, and all his employees. They had taken this photo the same day Iwaizumi had trained them on self defense. Suga had hoped for a professional photo of all them in neat rows smiling at the camera, but the results were far from that. Towards the bottom of the photo was Tanaka, Noya, and Hinata all making variations of silly faces, with Kenma glaring down at them from the far right. Above him was Yamaguchi, who was the definition of camera shy. Suga and Bokuto were in the center of the photo, and he remembered that day how he was holding his smile until he saw a hand from his peripheral view. When he looked, it was Akaashi giving Bokuto a kiss on the cheek. At that moment, he had forgotten that he was standing in front of a camera and was about to scold them when he heard the shutter sound. 

“Oh god. I’m sorry Iwaizumi but we might need to take another one,” he had said to the physical trainer. 

Iwaizumi smirked down at the camera and said, “I don’t know. I think this is perfect.”

Oikawa stepped out from behind the crowd as he sauntered over to Iwaizumi. “I’ll be the judge of that. After all, I am the star of this show.”

He stood shoulder to shoulder with Iwaizumi as he squinted down at the camera. Iwaizumi looked at him expectantly, his smirk never leaving his face as he watched Oikawa’s mouth drop. 

“Iwa-chan! I’m hardly in this photo! You can barely see the top of my head.” 

“I know. That’s what makes it perfect.” 

The look on Oikawa’s face was all it took to convince him to keep the photo. Still, due to its inappropriate nature, it was hung in the narrow hallway that led to Suga’s office, rather than out where customers could see. Looking at it now, it perfectly encapsulated his staff, and the number of funny, stressful, and mundane moments they’ve all shared together. 

“Suga!! A customer wants to talk to you again! Sorry!!”

Suga closed his eyes as he let out a sigh. Rebalancing the cluttered mess in his arms, he turned back around. 

“Coming!”

***

Kuroo and Kenma were settled down in the same spot they were in the first time they hung out after work, as they did on most nights. The sun had just set, but the clouds still had a nice ombré of orange and purple, with a dark overcast heading in their direction. Their McDonalds bag and drink were sitting between them, but Kenma didn’t feel hungry at the moment. He never liked being the one to initiate conversation, so instead he looked out onto the bridge as he unconsciously ran a finger across his knuckles repeatedly. 

“Tsukki and freckles are cute, huh?”

“I guess,” Kenma said while sitting up. It was slightly annoying that even though he was now in the same position as Kuroo, he was still a head shorter than him. 

"You tired yet? You wanna go home?”

“...No.” 

Kenma wanted to push the locks of hair that strayed from his messy bun farther across his face, but instead kept his eyes trained on the bridge as he said, “Kuroo, would you say we’re friends?”

“Would you?” 

Kenma knew that Kuroo was looking at him through his onyx bangs, but he refused to make eye contact. Instead he went on, “I dunno. You walk me home every day. We buy each other food. We visit each other at work. We’re far from being strangers. I guess what I’m asking is why you stick around.”

There was a pause of silence and Kenma finally turned to look at Kuroo. His mouth was in a thin line and his eyes were fixed solely on Kenna’s face. The silence was killing him so he continued, “No need to look at me like that. I know it was a dumb question.”

“It wasn’t, you just caught me off guard,” said Kuroo. “Do you have many friends, Kenma?”

“I don’t like where this is going. Dick.”

“That’s not what I meant. You just seem to have some sort of weird complex where you completely overthink people’s motive,” after saying which, Kuroo flashed a grin as his eyes softened. “I stick around because I like you. That’s all there is to it.”

Kenma felt his cheeks burn as he gritted his teeth. “As what?”

“...huh?”

“You said that you like me. As what? A friend?”

“Ha...uh, Kenma, I don’t understand-“

Partially out of frustration, Kenma hooked a hand on the side of Kuroo’s neck and pressed their faces forward. When their lips made contact, Kuroo’s didn’t move. With eyes wide open, he was too shocked by what was happening. But when realization clicked, he understood how oblivious he was being. His eyelids fluttered shut as he slumped closer, attempting to be at the same height as the shorter boy. Their lips were just starting to match rhythm when they both felt something cold at their feet. When they looked down, they saw that their large coke they had been sharing had tipped over, the lid cracked open as soda slowly drained out of it. 

“Great. Now you owe me a coke,” said Kenma, scooting his legs away from the brown puddle that was starting to form. 

Kenma was only able to catch Kuroo’s wicked smile for half a second before he was lifted by his waist, his body moved over the puddle and to the opposite side of Kuroo. His back landed on the grass with surprising grace. He looked up in shock as Kuroo hovered over him, balancing on one elbow. At this angle, he could see both of his hazel eyes with no hair obstructing the view. They were warm and feline-like, and the way they looked down on him made Kenma feel like he just ignited something he can't stop. 

“If it means we get to do this again, I gladly oblige.”

It irritated Kenma how this man always found a way to get the upper hand, but the way Kuroo cradled Kenma’s bottom lip between his own made him think that maybe dealing with the insufferable had its perks. 

***

Suga was locking the back door of the restaurant when he heard ‘I’ll be right back, babe’ coming from the distance behind him. When he turned around, he could see Bokuto shutting the driver side door as he jogged over to Suga. 

“Hey hey!”

“Hi, Bokuto,” said Suga as he tucked the keys in his pocket. 

“So... Have you made a decision yet?”

“No, but if I did you’d be the first to know. You are my boss, after all.”

“Right, right. It’s no rush! I just want to make sure you're making the right decision.”

“What do you think is the right decision?” Suga said, genuinely curious.

Bokuto seemed flustered by that, his eyes darting back and forth as he scratched his head. “Well that’s up to you to decide, but it’s a whole different world there. You gotta wear stiff office clothes all the time and address everyone by ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’. It can get pretty tiring, you know?”

Suga gave a small chuckle. Even though he didn’t really want to talk about this, he could tell that Bokuto was worried about him, which he appreciated. “I’m sure it does. But if I were to accept the position, I’m sure Daichi would help me get acclimated to that kind of stuff.”

At that, Bokuto’s eyebrows shot up as his mouth wavered. “Sure but do you think you can be professional around him?”

Suga froze and looked up at Bokuto, his eyebrow arched up. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean at the meeting it seemed like you guys really hit it off...”

“I still don’t get what you mean. I need to be on good terms with him even if I don’t take the position.”

“Yeah but you were all...blushy and ,like, flustered.”

“Bokuto,” Suga said in a measured tone. “First of all, I’m pretty sure he’s married. But more importantly, he’s my boss. I think I can handle myself well. Whatever you think you saw during the meeting was probably wrong.”

“But you were practically glowing every time he talked to you.”

“I’m really not trying to start anything but are you one to judge?”

“Well...”

“You basically ordered me to interview and hire Akaashi on the spot. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great worker and you two look very happy together, but it’s not exactly the definition of professionalism.”

Bokuto wanted to say more but his mouth clamped shut. Really, he wished he could rewind and start the conversation over. 

Even though Suga did a good job at hiding it, Bokuto knew he was upset. 

“I’m sorry but I have to go. Goodnight, Bokuto.”

Before he could stop him, Suga turned on his heels and paced over to his car. Making his way back to his own, he watched Suga’s car turn out the parking lot and down the street until it was hardly visible. 

Akaashi was typing on his phone as Bokuto slipped into the driver seat. What caught him off guard was how silent he was. 

“Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know.”

***

When Oikawa arrived at Iwaizumi’s apartment, the table was already set. There was a set of plates and utensils across from each other on the tiny floor table. Iwaizumi was making his way back to the kitchen as Oikawa took his shoes off at the front door. He took this time to inspect himself in the hallway mirror as Iwaizumi was hunched over a boiling pot. He knew he looked good, but he didn’t want to come off like he was trying so hard. Currently, he was wearing a loose white long sleeve top over mint colored shorts. Since the time he met Iwaizumi, the two of them have been having what he figured was dates, or maybe a better word was hang outs. It started off with getting drinks, and then a couple days later, Iwaizumi asked him to come over to his house for dinner. Since then, they’ve been having dinner together almost every other day. Most people would probably call that dating, but Oikawa was getting mixed signals from Iwaizumi. He wasn’t usually this patient with guys he was interested in, and often he asked himself why he subjected himself to this.

‘Well, for one, his arms look fantastic in that shirt,’ Oikawa thought to himself as Iwaizumi set the pot in the middle of the table. 

“What are you staring at,” said Iwaizumi, slinging the hand towel he was using to hold the pot over his shoulder. 

“The food, of course. If you assume too much, you’d only be flattering yourself,” Oikawa grinned up at him. 

“Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi turned away, but not before flinging the towel at Oikawa’s face. He caught it just in time, and spread it out on his lap. 

And this was his problem. This was as far as their affection has gone since getting to know each other. Oikawa could admit to himself that his flirting style can be a bit bold at times (maybe the lap dance thing from the other day was a bad idea), but they haven’t even kissed yet. He knew that people had different levels of affection that they were comfortable with, but he was afraid that they were starting to fall into a friendship instead of something more. He knew Iwaizumi had to have been interested in him when they first met, considering he asked him out to dinner, but maybe he realized he didn’t actually like him but wanted to let him down easy. The constant wondering was killing him, but it was still too soon to define the relationship. 

“Are you gonna eat?”

Oikawa realized that he had been staring off into space long enough that Iwaizumi was already sitting across from him, filling his plate. 

“I’m just waiting for you to take the first bite to make sure it’s not poisoned.”

“Shut up and eat.”

They sat in relative silence as they ate. Iwaizumi was a much faster eater than him, which Oikawa has pointed out to him many times despite Iwa’s annoyance. While helping himself to a second serving, Iwaizumi said, “You had work today?”

Oikawa nodded his head as he swallowed. “I had a heart to heart with my manager today.”

“You have a heart?”

“Iwa-chan, you are ruthless tonight.”

There was a ghost of a smile on Iwaizumi’s face. “Was it about the promotion?”

“Yeah. I can understand why he’s hesitant. He’ll be working directly under the CEO. I don’t know what he looks like, but I bet he’s old and scary.”

“He’s pretty young, actually.”

“You’ve met him?” Oikawa’s eyebrow quirked up. 

“Not in person, but he was the one to contract me when you guys needed self defense training, so I’ve seen his LinkedIn profile.”

“Well now I’m curious. You have to show me.”

As Iwaizumi took his phone out of his joggers, Oikawa took this as an opportunity to stand up and sit next to Iwaizumi. Besides that day of training where Iwa flipped him like an omelet in front of all his coworkers, this was the closest they have ever been. Oikawa didn’t want to risk offending him, so he made sure their legs didn’t touch as he got into a comfortable position. 

He looked at Iwaizumi’s side profile as he was navigated through the app. “Look at Iwa-chan, partaking in gossip.”

“Shut up, you’re the one being nosy.”

“Touché.”

Iwaizumi tilted his screen towards Oikawa’s face and he looked at the profile picture. He was right, he was young. As he took in the dark features, square jawline and pale skin, Oikawa’s curious expression morphed into a look of horror as recognition flooded him. 

Iwaizumi looked up at him with furrowed brows. “What? You know him?”

Oikawa cleared his throat. “Uhm yeah. I met him a few months ago.”

“At like a meeting or something? Wouldn’t you remember your own CEO?”

“No it was nothing work related. It was more... casual.”

Iwa was confused at first, but when he looked at Oikawa’s face grow red with embarrassment, it finally clicked for him.

“Oh.”

“But we didn’t hook up!”, Oikawa said, his hands slightly raised in defense.

“Oikawa, it's okay. We’re both adults. We’ve dated before.”

“But we didn’t even date! I mean- Oh god,” Oikawa exasperated as he buried his face in his hands.

Iwa grabbed both of Oikawa’s hands and moved them away from his face, releasing them quicker than Oikawa would’ve liked as he said, “It's fine. Really. Although I am curious, you probably would’ve recognized his name, right?”

“Well… The app that I used at the time when I found him.... Isn’t really used for getting to know people personally, so most people don’t go by their real name.”

When he looked up, Iwa was silently chuckling into his fist, his broad shoulders bouncing up and down. 

“What is so funny, Iwa-chan?!?”

“I’m just thinking about what your username is. Shittykawa. Trashkawa. Can’t-tackle-someone-in-spite-of-being-6-foot-kawa.”

“That is for me to know and you to never find out. But I can assure you it was none of those.”

Iwa was still recovering from his fit of laughter when Oikawa said, “I actually didn’t end up hooking up with him because he was too aggressive. And ,like, not in the fun way.”

Iwa’s expression fell more serious but he allowed Oikawa to continue.

“He had me meet him at some posh hotel downtown. Everything started off pretty normal at first, but then he started pushing me around, which we didn’t agree on beforehand. Then he started saying degrading stuff that honestly said more about him than me. That’s when I knew I had to get out of there.”

“What did you do,” Iwa said, his demeanor very serious, as if this had just happened to Oikawa.

“I told him that if he wanted a punching bag he should try Craigslist instead. Then I left.”

Iwa’s worry shattered and he gave a goofy laugh to that, which made Oikawa smile. It was nice seeing him soft like this. But then the corner of Iwa’s mouth quirked down as he looked to the side, suddenly looking like he was in deep thought.

“What?” Oikawa said cautiously.

“I mean… He’s a dick, but you could’ve had a rich business man...”

Oikawa couldn’t help but smirk. “Is Iwa-chan jealous?”

Iwa shot him a glaring look. “No!”

Oikawa looked down at his lap, feeling awkward. Maybe his suspicions were right and Iwa only saw him as a friend.

Suddenly, Iwa had his hands pressed on the floor on either side of Oikawa’s hips. When Oikawa looked up, their faces were mere inches from each other and he could smell a mixture of leather and cherry from Iwa. Bold and sweet. 

“I have no reason to be jealous because you’re here, aren’t you? I have you right where I want you.”

Oikawa’s heart was racing, but he surprised himself with how steady his voice was when he said, “You act like we’ve been playing a game of cat and mouse. I’ve been waiting for this.”

“Oh, I’m sure. You’re not exactly subtle. Offering me lap dances and what not.”

“The offer is still on the table,” Oikawa said, his brow quirking up.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m interested. But I think I’ll settle for this right now.”

His eyes were on Oikawa’s lips when he said that. Iwa tilted his head to the side as he closed the distance between them. Oikawa wondered if Iwa could hear the pounding in his chest, but he kissed him so soft and deeply that his worries started to melt away. He had been waiting for this moment for what felt like ages, and now that it was finally here all he could think was, ‘God was it worth the wait.’

***

The next morning, Suga was in the storage room as he was taking inventory. He lost count on napkins when he heard a quick knock on the door as it opened.

“Hey,” Bokuto said, slowly poking his head from around a shelf.

“Morning, Bokuto,” said Suga, putting his pen down.

“I just wanted to say sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to imply anything. You’re a great worker, better than me a lot of times,” Bokuto gave a soft chuckle.

“Thank you. And I’m sorry about bringing up Akaashi. I really do wish you both the best.”

“He is the best. But hey, I-.”

“Um, Bokuto?”

Bokuto clamped his mouth shut, letting Suga speak.

“I actually just got off the phone with Daichi earlier. I accepted the position.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has more build up than anything else but I promiiiiiiise it will all be worth it :D
> 
> P.S.-I hope kenma is having a good birthday.

-earlier that morning-

Sugawara was in his office, organizing his routine paperwork for the day, hoping that not too many customers had come in yet, considering how early it was. That way he could at least get a head start on his work before the lunch rush crowd came in. Resting at the corner of his desk was his work telephone, which was currently in sleep mode from lack of use. Ever since he had been offered the promotion, he had been spending less time in his office. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was avoiding making a decision, or if he felt like he needed to spend as much time with his staff as possible if their days together were actually numbered. He thought back to his conversation with Bokuto, and it made his eyes instinctually linger back to the phone and the drawer that held Daichi’s business card. 

‘Yeah but you were all...blushy and ,like, flustered,’ Bokuto had said to him yesterday. 

‘Was it really that obvious,’ Suga thought as he pressed the heels of his hands into his tired eyes. 

He had to admit that in these past few weeks, he has not been in the best head space. Everyone around him seemed to be finding love, or at least the potential for love, and he has just been sitting idly in the background to watch it happen. Of course, he was glad to see the people he considered his friends find someone that made them happy. Hell, even Kenma seemed to be in a better mood nowadays. But if he was being honest with himself, it only made Suga feel more lonely. 

And then there was the day of the meeting. Of course from first glance, anyone could tell that Daichi was an attractive man. Suga didn’t know what to expect that day, but it certainly wasn’t all olive skin, strong jawline and broad shoulders wrapped an exquisite suit. But it wasn’t just the looks that had drawn him in. When Daichi spoke to him directly, he truly felt he was getting all of this man’s undivided attention. And maybe that’s what he was lacking in his life right now. Attention. 

Suga was good looking, or at least he considered himself above average, even if his insecurities told him otherwise at times. Yet he hasn’t had a serious relationship, or even gone on a date, in a long while. He could easily blame it on work, but he was the kind of person who was content with being by himself. Lately, however, that feeling has shifted, and watching people like Tsukishima, Akaashi, and Iwaizumi walk into his friends' lives and change it for the better only made the feeling grow worse. He couldn’t even bring himself to go to Asahi’s birthday party, knowing that he would be the only one there without a plus one, besides Tanaka, who didn’t really count since he was so fiercely independent and could take rejection unlike no other. Maybe Daichi was giving him a sense of being sought after that Suga feels like he hasn’t felt before, but was it right to project that onto someone who is supposed to be your superior?

Still in mid thought, the door to his office swung open, startling him back to reality. 

“Suga-chan! We need to talk!” said Oikawa as he swung the door closed behind him without looking back. 

“Oikawa. Today is your off day, isn’t it?” Suga said as he looked at the calendar posted on his bulletin board. 

“It is, but this is important. Trust that I would not be up this early if it wasn’t.”

Suga had to admit, that was an impressive feat for him. 

Oikawa went right in as he plopped himself in the chair across from Suga. “Do you remember that weird hookup I had a couple months ago?”

Suga scrunched his brows, looking off in the distance. “....Which one?”

Oikawa’s mouth dropped open in a wide O. “What do you mean which one?!”

Suga gave him an incredulous look, letting his face be his response. 

“Okay I know I’ve had some weird hookups in the past, but it has been relatively slow for me these past few months. Of course, now I have Iwa-chan. We’re taking things slow but once he lets me in his pants, I’m sure there will be a lot of physical training we will be teaching each other if you know what I m-.”

“PLEASE!” Suga said, his hand slamming down on his desk. This made Oikawa jump in his seat. Suga took a deep breath and said more calmly, “What are you trying to get at, Oikawa?”

“Right,” Oikawa said, his gaze lingering on Suga’s tense hand. Suga had his moments, but he seemed especially wound up today. “Maybe you remember a few months ago I told you about that guy I almost hooked up with. He was a business man who had me meet him in that one ritzy hotel downtown but he started smacking me around and was being a big meanie? And then I told him to fuck off and left?”

Suga’s eyes lit up. “I do remember.”

“That was Daichi,” Oikawa said in a fierce whisper, despite them being the only two in this room. 

It was Suga’s turn for his jaw to drop. “Are you sure?”

“A thousand percent. Iwa-chan showed me his picture last night and it was definitely him. I would’ve told you last night but,well, I kinda got distracted,” Oikawa said with a sheepish grin, looking off to the side. 

His words probably would’ve probed at his loneliness but he was too distracted by the information he was just given. So Daichi is gay? Or at least he’s into men. He knows he’s heard from Bokuto before that he had a wife. It’s not too shocking that someone as powerful as him had secret affairs, even with the same sex, but was Daichi some type of sadist? The thought made Suga skin prickle. 

“That’s...wow. That’s crazy. Do you want me to contact HR?”

“No, no. This all happened outside of work. I didn’t know he was my boss’s boss’s boss and I’m certain he didn’t know where I worked. I’m telling you this to warn you.”

Suga’s spine shot up as he gave Oikawa a confused look. “Warn me? For why?”

“Because,” Oikawa held up both hands as if it were obvious. “He could do the same to you.”

Suga felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Our relationship isn’t like that at all. I hardly know the man. Besides, I doubt I’m his type.”

When he finally looked up at Oikawa, he took in his features. His strong but elegant face, the way he carried himself with such grace even as he was slunched in an office chair. Despite being around the same age, Suga still had a baby face, and to even be compared to someone like Oikawa felt like a pity. 

“I know that look. You’re going into self critical mode. Do I need to remind you how great you are, or should I call Noya in here to beat it into you?”

“Look, Oikawa,” Suga started as he clutched his cold hands together. “He pursued you outside of work, right? So clearly he knows how to keep his work life and his personal life separate. I don’t condone his actions and I’m here for you if you decide to change your mind if you do want to report him, but I don’t see how this involves me. Daichi offered me the position based on my performance, not my looks. If I felt otherwise, I wouldn’t even consider it.”

Oikawa opened his mouth to start a defense, but was at a loss for words. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, silently cursing Suga for always being so logical. 

Suga gave him a soft smile in return. “I do appreciate your concern, really. But I’ll be okay. Now please, go enjoy your day off.”

Oikawa gave a dramatic sigh. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Oikawa stood up and made his way to the door, hand lingering on the door handle for just a moment longer than usual, making Suga look up from his paperwork. Oikawa turned to look back at him.

“How will I know?”

“Huh?” Suga asked, confused.

“That you’re not okay. How will I know?”

Suga genuinely thought about that for a moment before speaking. “We’ve known each other long enough that I’m sure you could tell. Nothing gets past you.”

“Very true,” he said, flashing a winning grin before swinging the door open and making his exit. 

Suga went back to his shuffling papers, though it only worked as a temporary distraction till he opened his drawer to reach for his stapler. The fluorescent light captured the gold calligraphy from Daichi’s business card. Suga tentatively picked it up, turning it in his hand as the lettering shined like liquid gold. 

‘Why does it feel like everyone is trying to protect me lately?’ Suga thought.

‘I thought that was supposed to be my job,’ he thought as he laughed to himself. 

A shadow fell over his face as he thought, ‘Am I burdening everyone around me the longer I wait to make a decision? Everyone is embracing change and inviting new people into their lives. Am I being indecisive because I don’t want things to change? I can’t expect them to be servers for the rest of their lives. They’re going to move onto bigger and better things. Should I really be putting my career on halt because I’ll miss them? I just need to make a decision now.’

Quicker than his mind let him catch up to, his hand picked up his desk phone and dialed the office number on the card. 

After two rings, the line picked up and he heard on the other side a deep voice say, “Sawamura Daichi.”

Suga felt his mind go blank as he suddenly couldn’t think of what to say. After what was probably too long of a pause, he stuttered out, “H-hello. It’s Sugawara. Koshi. From the southside store.”

“Suga. I was waiting for your call.”

He tried to ignore the way he said his name made a tingle travel down his spine. 

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting so long. But I thought it over and,” he took in a gulp of air as he continued, “I’m calling to tell you that I accept the position.”

“That’s great news,” his new boss said warmly. “And please, call me Daichi. No need for formalities, since we’ll be working very closely together for now on.”

***

These next two weeks were not going to be easy for Bokuto. 

Once he got the news from Sugawara about accepting the position, he got a more than stern email from Daichi explaining how he is going to have to balance his usual work at corporate on top of filling in Suga’s role whenever he was away at training, since he has yet to find a suitable replacement. Most of the corporate positions came with a two week probation period where the new hire is trained, and once they have been proven efficient at the job, they sign an official document that states that they accept the role. Daichi had mentioned in the email that he has some out of town meetings he can’t miss in these next two weeks, so Suga will be switching back and forth between working at corporate and running the store while he is away. 

He hoped that was enough time to change the tides, but he felt all his efforts were already slipping away. 

After his talk with Suga last night, he was so fazed out, he had almost forgotten that Akaashi was in the passenger seat. When he asked him if everything was okay, he knew he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He told him everything. About the night at the club before he met Akaashi, Daichi’s plan, his threats, the promise he made to himself after meeting Akaashi, the meeting, and finally the conversation he just had with Suga. 

Akaashi sat in silence the entire time, absorbing all the details as the whole story came together. When he finally spoke, he said straight forward, “Well you didn’t have to accuse him of having a crush on Daichi.”

Bokuto roughly raked his hands through his hair as he groaned loudly. “Ugh I know! I wasn’t thinking and I didn’t know what else to say at the time! You know I’m not always the best when it comes to talking to people.”

He was staring down at his lap, feeling utterly defeated. Without second thought, he pulled out his phone and started to unlock it. “I just need to call him and tell him everything. Right now. He might be driving still but I’ll keep calling till he pick-.”

Suddenly, a delicate hand wrapped around the top of Bokuto’s phone, gently pushing it down. “You can be incredibly short sighted at times.”

Bokuto broke out in an exasperated look, feeling like he just got kicked while he was already down. “Agaaaashi!”

“But,” he raised a hand to silence Bokuto. He continued, “you’re wrong about what you said just now. You’re great at talking to people when you give yourself enough time to think over what you want to say. It’s one of the things that made me fall for you.”

Akaashi ducked his head down, hoping his blush wasn’t too noticeable. He could practically feel Bokuto’s breath on his forehead, as his mouth was now agape as he hunched over to take a closer look at Akaashi, still unsure if he heard him right. 

“...Fall....for me?”

Akaashi looked up, the smallest hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Yes, but that’s not important right now.”

Bokuto was practically vibrating in his seat. “Are you saying you love me?!”

“We are getting off topic, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto grabbed the sides of Akaashi’s face with his hands gently, but were firm enough to show how serious he was as he made him look him in the eyes. 

“Please. Say it again.”

Akaashi felt like he just had a spotlight pointed at him. He wanted to bury himself in his hoodie to hide his embarrassment, but the look of complete devotion on Bokuto’s face made him unable to look away. 

“It’s one of the things that made me fall for you, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto looked like he was ready to crack, and his eyes bore into Akaashi so deeply, he felt like he was naked. 

“What kind of sick twisted joke that an angel like you could ever fall for me.”

Akaashi felt like his face was red hot. He wrapped his hands around Bokuto’s wrists, but didn’t move them from his face as he said, “You’re so embarrassing sometimes, Bokuto-san.”

“You love it though, right?”

“I tolerate it.”

“Because you love me?”

“This is torture.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They stayed like that for a long moment, their faces very close but not touching. Akaashi had a rare smile on his face that made Bokuto feel just as warm as the words he just spoke. And Akaashi was enjoying the way the setting sun made Bokuto’s eyes look like golden lanterns. Eventually Akaashi slipped his hands down Bokuto’s arms as he said, “Suga is stronger than he looks. And he’s very perspective. If Daichi tries something with him, I can’t imagine Suga will just take it. You should apologize to him in the morning and we’ll figure out from there what we can do.”

He had felt hopeful then, but now in the present time, with the knowledge that Suga had taken the position and it was most likely his fault, he desperately wanted to crawl in a hole to clear his mind but knew he needed to stay focused now more than ever. A part of Bokuto still wanted to tell Suga everything, but he knew he couldn’t. If Daichi caught that there was any inkling that Suga knew what was going on, all of them could be at risk. He knew Suga was smart, he just hoped that he could catch on before things got bad. 

***

Through his slightly blurry reflection from the inside of the elevator doors, Suga dusted off nonexistent lint from his coat. He was wearing what was his wardrobe’s best attempt at white collar professionalism. There was a strong cold front today, so he had on a black petticoat with a pale blue scarf. Underneath was a plain white button up, something he had bought to wear to a friend's wedding years ago that hasn’t been worn since. He didn’t even have a tie to accompany it. He knew he could never compare to the people he would soon call his coworkers, but he hoped that his attire wasn’t so plain that it stuck out. 

When the elevator doors opened with a ding, he was greeted with the same image he got the first time he was here. Except this time he was alone. He clenched his cold hands as he made his way to the concierge desk.

“Sugawara. Welcome back. Daichi is in his office, you can let yourself in.”

Even though he knew it was her job to greet everyone with kindness, her smile brought a small sense of comfort as he made his way to the tall metal doors. When he opened them, the first thing he saw was Daichi. He was leaning on the front of his desk, one hand in his pants pocket while the other held a telephone pressed to his ear. The way his jacket fell over his hip showed off the strong chest that was underneath the white fabric of his dress shirt. He tilted his head, notioning Suga to walk in as he gave a brief farewell to the person on the other line. By the time he had hung up the phone, Suga was only half way across his large office, and was surprised when Daichi lightly jogged over to him to meet him halfway.

“Suga! Welcome. Let me get your coat for you,” Daichi said as he stood behind Suga.

“Oh, thank you,” Suga said gingerly as he smiled over his shoulder. His hands somehow managed to unbutton the four large buttons of his coat, and as he started to peel it off his shoulder, he felt two large hands gripping the collar. Daichi’s hands gently shrugged the coat off of him, his fingertips just barely graving down Suga’s shoulders and forearms. He hoped that the shiver in his spine wasn’t visible. 

‘What am I so nervous for? I need to get myself together,’ Suga thought as he unravelled his scarf from his neck.

He made his way over to the standing coat rack that Daichi had hung his coat at and placed the scarf in Daichi’s outstretched hand.

“It’s a shame I keep it warm in here during the cold fronts, this is a good color on you,” said Daichi, motioning to the scarf.

Suga ducked his head, not expecting the compliment. “Thank you. It was a gift from my mom.”

“Speaking of gifts,” Daichi’s face perked up as he reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a black leather bound box and held it out to Suga. “This is for you.”

Suga took the box from Daichi’s hand, running a thumb over the smooth material before opening it. Laying inside was a pen that was glossy and black as coal. There was gold font on the front, and Suga picked it out of its velvet-lined bedding to get a closer look. ‘Femboy Hooters’ was printed on the front of it, in the same calligraphy as the business card Daichi had given him. Flipping it over between his thumb and index finger, he saw that there was writing on the opposite side of the pen as well. ‘Property of Sawamura Daichi.’ For a moment, he thought that it was a strange thing to print on a pen, but he didn’t want to seem ungrateful for the gift. He placed it back in the box and closed the lid, giving Daichi a gracious grin. 

“Thank you, you shouldn’t have.”

“No worries, it’s something we give to all our new hires,” he said with a wave of his hand as he started walking to the other side of his office. “So unfortunately for the next few days, you’ll mostly be doing computer training. I must admit, it’s painfully boring and you’re probably already familiar with some of the concepts, but it’s something that everyone in this building has had to complete. I am sure you are more than competent to get them done, but if you need help, I’ll be at my desk and you can call me over at any time.”

Suga was set up at a desk that was in the corner of the room by the doors. The desk was small compared to Daichi’s, but looked like it was made of exotic wood. And the computer resting on top of it was one Suga had recognized the last time he went to an appliance store. He remembered his throat going dry when he saw the price tag on it. This was something he was just going to have to get used to. 

After going through the process of creating logins and starting up the training program, Suga quickly fell into the pattern of listening to the lectures on the wired earbuds that were plugged into the computer. Daichi was right, this was boring, but his nerves wouldn’t let him miss a single word, and he even took down notes along the way. 

At one point, there was a file Suga was having trouble finding. From where he was sitting, his back was turned to Daichi. He really didn’t want to bother Daichi, but he couldn’t move forward with the lessons without finding this file. He tentatively looked over his shoulder. It looked like Daichi was reading something on his computer. With a gulp, Suga spoke up, “Um, Daichi. I’m having a hard time finding this one file the program is asking for.”

“M’kay, lets see,” he said while getting up from his desk. Suga turned back to his computer, moving the mouse around to display the files tab. In his moment of concentration, he was surprised when he felt Daichi’s hand suddenly rest over his, guiding the cursor to the bottom left corner of the computer screen. Suga kept his face blank to the best of his ability, but was taken back by their sudden closeness. Daichi’s fingers were laid over his, and any time he clicked on something, Suga’s finger would imitate the motion. Suga could smell Daichi’s cologne from this angle. It was a deep woodsy smell that instinctually made Suga want to lean his head back to inhale deeper, but he wouldn’t dare. 

‘Is this what Oikawa smelled the night he met him?’, he thought to himself before quickly throwing the thought away. He had a hard time picturing someone as composed as the man behind him to be the person Oikawa was talking about, but he figured everyone had their secrets. The way he was caging his hand was definitely dominating...

“There it is. It's almost as if they made it impossible to find on purpose,” said Daichi, grinning down at Suga.

“Haha, yeah. Sorry for the trouble,” said Suga, his hand feeling uncomfortably warm as it was still under Daichi’s grip.

“No trouble at all. Like I said, call me any time.”

He finally let go of his hand, but not before giving Suga a pat on the shoulder with the other one before returning to his desk. The motion was so small, but it felt like Daichi’s thumb hand grazed over Suga’s shoulder in an almost massaging motion. He tried to bury that thought away, but the woodsy smell still lingered in his wake.

\---

It had been a little over a week since Suga had started his training with Daichi and his schedule has never been more hectic. By the time he was finished with his computer training, Daichi informed him that he would be away for a couple of days for business meetings. He had gotten comfortable having his packed lunches on the same floor as Daichi’s office, but was starting to feel cooped up, so he took this as an opportunity to have his lunch at the building’s cafeteria on the ground floor. He found a table that had a couple workers who looked to be around his age. He introduced himself and asked to sit with them, which they kindly agreed to. 

“I’ve never seen you around here before, are you new?”, said the man that was named Ennoshita.

“Yeah, kind of. I’ve been here on and off for a week now but this is my first time coming to the cafeteria.”

“Uh, I swear I spend my whole paycheck here,” said the girl who went by Mika as she bit into an apple slice. “What floor do you work on?”

“I’m still not familiar with the building’s layout, but I’m guessing that Daichi’s office is the top floor?”

The pair sitting in front of him froze. He looked back and forth between them, swallowing his food before saying, “What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” said Mika mildly. “It’s just that.... You’re the first man I’ve seen work under Daichi.”

“Huh,” Suga nodded, not really sure how to react.

“They’re usually pretty young, around your age,” said Mika.

“And hot,” Ennoshita added.

“Ennoshita! You’re making it sound like Suga isn’t hot,” Mika’s face reddened after saying that. “Oh! Not that I’m saying you’re hot! Or not hot! Oh my gosh.”

Mika buried her face in her hands as Ennoshita chuckled into his sandwich. Suga gave a wide smile, hoping it reassured Mika that he wasn’t offended. “It’s okay, I get what you’re saying. I’m sure he chose those women for this position for the same reasons he chose me.”

He wasn’t sure if he misunderstood him from all the chatting in the cafeteria, but Suga could have sworn he heard Ennoshita say ‘Let’s hope not’ before he took a sip from his thermos.

\---

It had been a couple days since that lunch encounter and Suga was back at the restaurant. It was around closing time and he was doing his nightly tasks, something that usually came with a decent level of stress, except now he welcomed the familiar routine. That was soon interrupted when he heard his phone ringing on the counter. Daichi’s caller id was on his phone screen, and Suga found it strange that he was calling so late in the evening, but figured it was important. He answered the call with a simple, “Hello.”

“Sugaaa,” Daichi purred his name through the other line.

“Is there something wrong?”

“What’s wrong is that I have no one to tend for me...”

Suga wasn’t sure what he meant by that. “Is there something you need from me?”

“I need you to come to my office. To sign the papers. I want to make this official. Now.”

His voice was a mixture of lethargic and commanding. He had never heard Daichi speak like this before. He held his phone away from his ear for a moment to look at the date. “But, sir, it’s only Wednesday. I thought I would be signing the papers this Friday. Plus I’m… in my work uniform.”

He looked down at his crop top and bright shorts. The thought of his new coworkers seeing him this exposed made his heart race.

“You’ve excelled at all of the training you’ve done so far, you’re more than qualified to start the job. And don’t worry, it’s afterhours so no one else is here.”

For some reason, that put Suga’s nerves on edge, but he felt like he couldn’t really say no. He hasn’t seen Daichi since he told him he was going to be out of town, so maybe he was rushing this because he had another flight to catch?

“Alright. I have to close up the store but I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Daichi said, hanging up the phone before Suga could respond. 

Even though he wasn’t face to face with him, Suga felt like he was just introduced to a new side of Daichi. He thought back to the conversation he had with Bokuto, Oikawa, and his new coworkers. It felt like he was given a puzzle that was missing a crucial piece. 

***

Oikawa was leaning against the front of the bar counter, looking out onto the mostly empty seats till his eyes landed on the booth in the far corner. From this angle, he could see the back of the head of the guy Yamaguchi has been seeing. Sitting across from him was a tall, dark haired man who was in mid conversation with the blonde guy while he had his arm draped over Kenma’s shoulder. Kenma, however, didn’t seem to be involved in the conversation as he had his head buried in his phone, tapping feverishly at what Oikawa could only assume was some app game. 

His attention was brought to behind him when he heard the familiar sound of trays being set on the counter. He turned to see Yamaguchi dumping out trash from behind the counter. Partially to avoid doing any real work, Oikawa struck up a conversation. 

“So, how are things going with you and Glasses?”

“Good…,” Yamaguchi said hesitantly as he picked up a cleaning cloth. “And his name is Tsukishima.”

“Sure, sure,” he looked off to the side to make sure the coast was clear.”Have you guys hooked up yet?”

“What?!” Yamaguchi stopped what he was doing, his face turning red. “Why do you need to know that?”

“Well I am kind of the reason you guys are together, aren’t I?”

“Actually, you inserted yourself into my personal life without my consent, but..,” Yamaguchi looked down towards the floor, suddenly getting shy. “..Tsukki told me later on that he was actually planning on asking me out that day.”

Oikawa lackadaisically waved his hand in the air. “Yeah, that’s great and all but I want the juicy details. Was I right about him being a minute man?”

“Oikawa!”

“Look,” Oikawa leaned his head forward, his tone mock serious. “I haven’t gotten laid in weeks and I need to vicariously live through my friend’s experiences before I explode. If I don’t, I might just pounce on Iwa-chan the next time I see him.”

“All you had to do is ask.”

Oikawa felt his blood go cold as he turned his head towards the voice behind him. Standing just a few feet away with keys in one hand and a jacket in the other was Iwaizumi, whose mouth was just barely pulled up on the corner. 

“Iwa-chan, you’re...early.”

“What was the first lesson I taught you during defense training.”

Oikawa suppressed an eye roll, knowing it would cost him if he did it. “Always be aware of your surroundings.”

Iwaizumi now had a satisfied grin on his face. “C’mon, let's go Pervykawa.”

“Hold on, I gotta tell Suga I’m leaving.”

He had an extra pep to his step, since he was probably going to get lucky tonight, but stopped short when he saw Suga looking down at his phone as if it just bit him.

“Suga-chan, is everything ok?”

Suga must’ve not heard him because it took him a moment to look at him. “Huh? Yeah, I’m fine.”

Oikawa looked him up and down suspiciously before saying, “Iwa-chan is here, is it okay if I leave a little early?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I have to lock up the store early anyway.”

“For why?”

“Daichi called. He wants me to sign the papers for the position tonight.”

“Tonight?! I thought that wasn’t till Friday?”

“Me too… But he said I’m ready to start. I guess that’s a good thing, right?”

Oikawa could see the nerves through his smile. 

“Shouldn’t Bokuto be there? It’s kinda late.”

“No, I don’t want to bother him. I’ll be fine, I’m just signing papers.”

“Right,” Oikawa gave a curt nod, and walked away before Suga could say anything else.

***

Suga was making small mistakes here and there, blaming it on the time crunch he was just placed in. He almost slammed his fingers into the register while closing it, and took a deep breath to collect himself, asking himself what he was so nervous for.

“Suga?”

He almost jumped, but when he turned to see Iwaizumi standing in front of the counter, he gave a small smile.

“Hey, Iwaizumi. It’s been a while. I hope Oikawa isn’t giving you too much grief.”

“Oh trust me, he is,” he said while turning his head to look at the server in question. His words didn’t match with the fond look on his face as he looked upon Oikawa typing on his phone from one of the bar stools. He turned his head back and said, “I never got to congratulate you for the position.”

“Oh, well thank you,” Suga said while looking down at his hands.

“You know, it might not technically be your position anymore but there was a lesson I forgot to mention during that day of defense training that I’m hoping you’ll pass down to your employees?”

“Yeah, of course. What is it?”

“Defending yourself is one thing, but the aftermath can be a battle of he-said she-said. Technology has made that easier now that everyone has camera phones. I try to remind the people that I teach that if they feel like something is going to happen, they should whip out their phones and start recording. Even if nothing ends up happening, it’s a tool that has helped a lot of people capture evidence of a crime.”

Suga slowly nodded his head, but felt like he couldn’t meet Iwaizumi in the eyes. 

“That’s good to know. I’ll definitely pass on the message.”

Iwaizumi gave a tilt to his head before heading over to where Oikawa was. Suga didn’t know what he was feeling, but his hands weren’t shaking anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will probably be the last. I know that @val_kurry has recently ended the series and I have so many emotions ahhhh. She recently released merch for it, so please go support her!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags updated for the last time! Buckle up because this is a roller coaster ride!!

With one hand absently running their fingers through Akaashi’s tousled waves as his head rested on his lap, Bokuto was typing with his other hand on the laptop that was balancing on the armrest of Akaashi’s couch. Ever since Suga accepted the position, Bokuto has been forced to work off the clock to complete his tasks. These documents were already boring enough to read at work, but being in the comfort of Akaashi’s apartment made it even harder for him to focus, and he found himself dozing off every once in a while. 

He felt his eyes start to flutter shut while reading about upcoming stock predictions when Akaashi’s phone chimed. 

“It’s Oikawa,” he said quizzically while swiping at the screen and speaking a quick ‘Hello?’ to the phone.

“Is Bokuto with you?!” He was loud enough for them both to hear.

“Yeah… You need to speak to him?”

“Yes. Right now, please!”

Akaashi’s eyebrows were furrowed in confusion as he held the phone up to Bokuto. “It’s for you.”

Before Bokuto could get half a greeting out, Oikawa practically yelled through the phone, “Where is your phone?! I called you at least a dozen times!”

“I left it in my car,” he said truthfully. He didn’t really need his phone whenever he was at Akaashi’s place.”What’s wrong?”

“Suga left a while ago to meet Daichi at his office. He’s signing the papers for the position tonight. Is it normal to be doing that so late at night? Considering it was scheduled for this Friday?”

Bokuto’s spine shot up, and Akaashi moved to sit up, tilting his head to listen in on the phone call.

“No, that’s not… Fuck, I need to call him and tell him to wait for me.”

“No, dont!”

“Oikawa this is important-”

“I know, but listen...”

As quickly as his mouth could move, Oikawa told him about the message Iwaizumi relayed to him, and how he might already be at the office by now. If he called, that could either interrupt any recording Suga could be taking, or trigger Daichi that something is up. Either way, Bokuto needed to get there as fast as possible. 

Bokuto didn’t even take the time to hang up the call, he dropped the phone on the space between him and Akaashi and was pacing towards the wall hooks to grab his keys. Behind him, he heard Akaashi say ‘Thank you, Oikawa. We’re leaving now.’

Akaashi barely had time to lock his front door before he heard the familiar sound of Bokuto’s car starting up behind him.

***

Suga stood in front of Daichi’s office doors, contemplating whether or not he should knock before entering. He then remembered that the doors were so thick that it probably wouldn’t be heard, so he took a deep breath and pushed them open slowly. From inside, Suga could see the back of Daichi’s desk chair, and the coiled telephone wire stretched across the expanse of it. 

“I already told you, I’m wrapping up a couple things at the office. The more you call, the longer it’ll take for me to get home.”

There was a long pause, and by the time Daichi hung up, Suga was standing a few feet away from the desk. The soft click of the door shutting behind him triggered Daichi to turn around.

“I have to go,” he said in a curt tone before he hung up the phone, using a bit more force than necessary. 

“Suga,” he said in a tone that was very similar to how he sounded on the phone earlier, except this time it confirmed Suga’s suspicions that he had been drinking, considering the slight slouch to his face and the near empty whisky glass was on his desk, opposite side of the phone. “Please, take off your jacket. It’s warm in here.”

Suga looked down, feeling shy. “I don’t know, I still have my uniform on...”

“It’s fine. That uniform represents the company, right?”

“Right,” he said as his hand went to pull down the zipper. He managed to get it off before Daichi could try to help him, and folded it over his outstretched arm. The motion was small, but Suga could see that Daichi patted his hoodie’s pockets before turning away. A small smirk formed on his face when he felt something hard and rectangular from the inside of them.

As Daichi made his way over to the coat rack, Suga walked over to the book shelves. In front of what had to be over dozens of encyclopedia collections were different trophies and medallions framed in glasses cases, each one spaced out about a foot apart. Suga lifted his foot to scratch his ankle, his motions short and fluid. 

“Are you impressed,” said Daichi. Suga didn’t know how he was able to sneak up on him so fast in his inebriated state, but he was now standing a couple feet away from him, hands in his pant pockets as he nodded towards the trophies.

“Sure,” said Suga casually, which made Daichi’s face twist into a wicked scowl for half a second before returning to calm. “I mean, yes. It shows your dedication to the company.”

Daichi seemed to be satisfied with his response, his eyes shamelessly moving up and down Suga’s now more exposed form. He wanted to turn and run, but pushed through as he forced his words out his throat.

“Is that the paper?” he motioned to a form that was sitting on the front of Daichi’s desk. It looked to be made of the same material that diplomas are printed on. 

“Yes, it is,” said Daichi, finally peeled his eyes away from Suga’s hips as he turned away. 

When Suga got to the desk, he tentatively ran his fingers over the thick parchment.

“Feel free to read over it if you want,” said Daichi, one hand planted flat on the desk to leverage him up.

Suga picked up the paper and started scanning over it, however it was hard to focus on the word when he could practically feel Daichi’s eyes undressing him. It got to the point where he couldn’t take it anymore, and he figured that the form had the wording of a general contract, so he looked up at the desk to find a pen to sign with. 

“You forgot this the other day.”

When he looked at Daichi, he was holding up the leather bound box of the pen he was gifted on his first day of training. He seemed be be standing even closer to him than he did just a moment ago.

“Do you not like it?” Daichi cooed.

“No… I mean, I must’ve forgotten it the last time I was here.”

Daichi plucked the form from Suga’s hand and laid it flat on the desk in front of them. With a flick of his thumb, the case popped open, revealing the pen inside.

“I think it’s only fitting that you use it to sign, don’t you think?”

Suga didn’t respond, and instead plucked the pen out of its bedding. The place where Daichi had put the form forced Suga to step even closer to him, and he felt the presence of Daichi’s broad shoulder hunched over him, but they still weren’t touching. 

Desperately wanting this moment to be over, he signed his name. 

He heard Daichi give a soft huff beside his temple. Suga set the pen down besides the form, but Daichi quickly picked it up. He held it close to his face as he turned it over. His level of concentration was so palpable that Suga felt himself unable to look away. Before he could even realize it, Daichi was standing right in front of him. Suga’s backside was pressed against the desk, trying to create as much space between them as possible, but Daichi’s hand was still planted firmly on the desk beside him. Daichi’s fingers suddenly stopped their rolling motion and his eyes flickered to Sugas’. There was a fierce glow to them under the moonlight. Like a bird stalking its prey.

“You know… We do give these pens out to every new hire, but I had the message on the back printed especially just for you.”

“Why?” Suga cursed himself for his shaking voice.

“I so desperately wanted to see what it would look like held between those pretty lips of yours.”

Before he could react, Daichi pressed the pen between his lips. It clanked against Suga’s clenched teeth as he looked up in shock. The look of ecstasy on Daichi’s face made him feel sick, and he spit the pen out onto the floor. 

“I don’t know what this is but it needs to stop-”

“Dont!” Daichi slammed his other hand down on the opposite side of the desk, trapping Suga in his approaching embrace. He took a ragged breath as his eyes fused shut. When he looked back down at him, his pupils were blown out. “Don’t pretend you didn’t want this. You’ve practically been drooling since the moment you met me. And I just put you in another tax bracket. You owe me.”

Suga’s spine felt like there were pins and needles running down it, but he refused to break eye contact with the man in front of him. “The only thing I _owe_ you is the labor I’m being paid for.”

Daichi’s eyes were still predatory, but his lips broke into a wide grin. “Is that all you signed for?”

Suga was confused, but he refused to bat an eye. But the deeper he looked into that twisted face, realization washed over him. Although he didn’t want to, Daichi gave him no other option than to pivot his body around to face the desk. The man's heaving chest was mere centimeters from his back. Suga picked up the form, this time running the bottom of it between his thumb and index finger, and with mild force the thick parchment split into two sheets. 

Underneath the form that official made him an employee of Femboy Hooters corporate was a contract of a different kind. This one still looked professionally made, but the words on the page made black spots form in Suga’s vision. He blinked them away as he scanned over words like ‘flogging’, ‘degrading’, and ‘blood-play.’ At the very bottom of the page was the same signature Suga had left on the top page. 

Suga ran his tongue over his now dry lips. “You can’t actually expect something like this to hold up in court, do you?”

“Of course not. This has no legal grounding. But it is something that I have all my subs sign so they are at least aware of what to expect.”

“And you actually expect me to do this shit? What for?”

“Hmm, let me think...” Daichi breathed into the back of his neck, making the hairs stand up. “For Akaashi? His termination could be easily explained. Since he’s fucking his boss and all.”

Daichi chuckled darkly, “Ironic, isn’t it?”

Suga’s mouth was pressed in a thin line as Daichi continued, “Or how about for Oikawa? He was my next choice after you. I know he denied me once before, but I love a good chase.”

Never feeling more trapped, Suga’s head dipped low as his shoulders slacked. 

Daichi clucked his tongue as he brought his finger tips to Suga’s chin, tilting his head back towards him. 

“Don’t be upset. I’ll make this fun for the both of us.”

With no warning, Suga felt Daichi’s hot tongue plunge in and around his ear. The fingers that were gently grazing his chin a second ago now had an iron grip across his jawline and neck. His tongue was like a lick of a flame as it traveled to the crook of his jawbone.

Suga’s hand reached up and grabbed hold of Daichi’s wrist as he shrunk his chin into himself, turning his head away from the grip. At the same time, the elbow of his other arm rammed into Daichi’s rib cage, causing the air to escape his lungs. This was immediately accompanied by Suga pushing his pelvic back against Daichi, and at the same time he had his foot wrapped around the back of his ankle. Daichi made a tumbling crash to the floor, his head making a deep thud on the carpet below him. Suga was scared for a moment that he might’ve knocked him out, or even killed him, but when Daichi started blinking stars out of his eyes, he knew he needed to act fast. It took two of his hands to get a firm grip of Daichi’s arm, but he used his knee to plummet his chest to the ground, trapping his other arm beneath his bruised chest. Suga sat on top of the small of Daichi’s back, trying to catch his breath.

“You can thank Iwaizumi for that.”

“Suga!”

The adrenaline coursing through him made it hard for his vision to focus, but when it did he saw Bokuto and Akaashi standing at the entrance of the office, the doors swung wide open. 

For a moment, he thought they were a figment on his imagination. But as they ran towards him, he used the last of his energy to yell, “Call the police!”

___

  
  


It took the police almost 20 minutes to arrive at the scene. Granted, they did have to navigate through the only back entrance that was unlocked in the building and go up 50 floors to reach the office. While they waited, Daichi had struggled under Suga’s embrace until Bokuto decided to take over, planting his heavy legs on either side of Daichi. There was a satisfied smile on Bokuto’s face as the man below him winced in pain. This must’ve set him off because he spat, “When they get here, I’ll let them know that I was assaulted in my own office by the three of you. You’ll all be thrown in jail!”

“I don’t think they will after I show them this,” said Suga as he plucked his phone from the bookshelf. He was never more grateful for having a boring black phone in his life, it blended in with the dark leathery book spines perfectly. He clicked the stop recording button and his heart washed over with relief when the nearly 10 minute long video was confirmed saved. “I deleted all the data from my phone just to make sure that this video would save.”

“Even the pictures from my birthday party?” Bokuto pouted up at him.

“Not important, Bokuto-san” said Akaashi as he looked out the window to inspect for approaching cop cars.

“What the hell! Your phone was in your jacket!”

“You must’ve mistaken that for my portable charger. I figured you’d check but I guess you weren’t thorough enough.”

“Where would you even keep your phone in an outfit like that?”

“Sock,” he dared a smile down at him. “Learned that trick from an employee.”

At that, Daichi planted his face into the carpet and didn’t speak a word until the police arrived. After explaining to them what happened and showing them the video, they put Daichi in handcuffs as they escorted him out the building. The last thing the group heard him say was ‘I want my lawyer’ as the police turned out the office doors and headed towards the elevators. The three of them followed the cops to the police statement to write up their statements, and by the time they were done, the morning sun was just starting to make its presence between the distance mountains. Suga was digging in his pockets for his keys, the exhaustion finally getting to him. The only thing to take him out of the moment was hearing his name from behind him.He turned around to see Bokuto looking at him with wide, pleading eyes. Akaashi was a few steps behind, but he turned away lighting a cigarette, his way of giving them privacy. 

“Suga, I.... I never meant for this to… I didn’t know what else to do, I-.”

“Bokuto,” Suga said while turning towards him, raising his hand out between them. “I- I can’t talk about this right now.”

“But you need to understand that I was trying to-”

“I can’t talk to _you_ right now.”

Bokuto’s expression was completely shattered, but his jaw went slack. There was a burning in the back of his eyes as he watched Suga wordlessly get into his car and drive off. His vision was starting to blur as the sun peeked over the mountainscape in a bright peachy hue, but Bokuto couldn’t will himself to look away. The only thing that made him fall back into reality was the puff of dark hair that was now standing in front of him, blocking his view of the sky. His forehead dropped and met the soft cotton of Akaashi’s hoodie. 

The only sound was the sizzle of the cigarette hitting the pavement. 

***

-1 year later-

Many changes ensued after Daichi’s termination. The heads of the Board agreed that Suga should still take the position he was offered if he still wanted it, and even insisted on giving him a settlement payment in hopes that it would compensate for what happened to him. He took the position, but suggested a different stipulation; that Iwaizumi be hired on as a full time employee to travel with Suga to teach about self defense and workplace harassment alongside him. They complied. 

In the weeks after the incident, everyone knew that Daichi was fired for sexual harassment, but the details of what happened were kept underwraps. Of course, that didn’t stop people from theorizing for weeks about what went on, and many were curious to know who their new leader would be. 

“I haven’t gotten a call back from the Board of Directors yet, but I think I made a pretty convincing argument as to why I’m perfect for the position,” said Yaku, his eyes noticeably dipping down to the chest of the intern he was talking to. 

“You think so?!” she beamed at him.

“Of course! With my record, they’d be idiots not to choose me!”, he said while making a sudden wide swoop of his arms. One of his hands crashed into the face of someone that was trying to walk past him.

When he turned around, he saw a tiny blonde woman who looked to be around his age flinch up at him. He puffed out his chest, angry that this woman wouldn interrupt him when he was just about to ask for this girl’s number. 

“People usually keep their eyes open while they're walking, dumbass,” he roared down at the girl.

Her nose twitched, but she said, “What is your name?”

“Morisuke Yaku. And you better not forget it. And who the fuck are you?”

“Hitoka Yachi. I won't forget your name, Yaku.”

Him and everyone within earshot watched as her heels clicked past them on the way to the elevator. It wasn’t until the doors shut that she pressed her back against the wall and practiced the breathing methods her mother taught her. She was grateful that the elevator doors didn’t open until they reached her floor, and by then she was fully composed. 

“Welcome, Yachi,” said the receptionist. “They just finished cleaning up your office, you can let yourself in.”

“Thank you so much.”

She had to admit that it took her quite some force to open the door, but once inside, she made her way towards her new desk. She walked past shelves upon shelves of empty bookcases, and when she reached her desk, she picked up the golden name plaque resting at the far right corner.

‘Hitoka Yachi- Chief Executive Officer of Femboy Hooters’

Yaku was let go that day.

***

While Kei, Yamaguchi, Kuroo, Kenma, Hinata, and Kageyama were mid-conversation in the booth at the far corner of the restaurant, Oikawa tossed the tray that held their food down between them with the grace of a frisbee. 

“You almost spilled my fries!”, said Hinata with an accusatory glare.

“I’m sorry, it's just that seeing happy couples disgusts me right now.”

“Did something happen between you and Iwaizumi?” Yamaguchi asked, genuinely concerned.

“My Iwa-chan is leaving for another business trip in two days and I work those days. If only someone were willing to cover my shift....”

The table fell silent. Oikawa groaned loudly as he stomped back to the kitchen. 

Kuroo nudged Kenma’s side, earning a scowl from him.

“If you work overtime, we might be able to pick up that giant exercise wheel you’ve been wanting to get Apple this weekend.”

“I thought you said the cat had enough toys.”

“She does. But at this point, I’ve accepted that you love her more than me.”

“You have your fair share of toys, like that fuzzy chain-”

Kuroo clapped a hand over Kenma’s mouth, looking out onto the booth to see if anyone else heard. Sure enough, Kei and Yamaguchi were giggling amongst themselves. However, Hinata and Kageyama seemed to be in a heated debate on who deserves to eat the last wing in the shared basket. Kuroo was grateful for their distraction, but knew that it would end soon with some form of p.d.a.

Kuroo dropped his hand when he felt Kenma’s tongue wiggle across his fingers, not that he minded it one bit. 

“Another word of that and I’m shoving a wing down your throat.”

***

At the bar counter, Akaashi was stacking receipts into a neat pile as he dug out his phone to use his calculator app. He stopped what he was doing when a shadow loomed over him, giving him a sense of déjà vu. 

“Akaashi-senpai~”

“Oikawa-san, if this is about taking tomorrow off, I already told you it can’t happen.”

Akaashi didn’t need to look up to know that Oikawa was pouting.

“But,” his eyes flickered up to the tall brunette, “I might be able to give you a half day.”

“Akaashi-senpai!” Oikawa leaned over the counter to wrap his arms around him. “I owe you the world!”

“Do you mean that?”

“Of course not.”

Akaashi shook his head but there was a ghost of a smile on his face. He was about to get back to his tasks when he heard the telephone ring on the wall behind him. When he picked it up, he greeted, “Femboy Hooters, Akaashi speaking.”

“Are you on the menu?”

“Bokuto-san, how many times are you going to make the same joke.”

“Until it stops making you smile.”

Akaashi reached up with his other hand, and damned himself for his face betraying him. He steered the conversation elsewhere, “How much longer will you be? We’re all waiting on you.”

“I’m taking the elevator right now. You know how the service gets in here so I’ll let you go. Seeyousoonloveyoubye!”

Akaashi was met with a dial tone, and he hung up the phone to get back to work.

***

When Bokuto walked out of the elevators and onto the main floor, half the fluorescent lights were dimmed, indicating that it was after hours. He could see from a few cubicles away that there was a computer that was still on. When Bokuto poked his head around the corner to see who was still working, his brows shot up.

“Lev? What are you still doing here?”

The young man straightened his back as he looked up at Bokuto. “I’m finishing up some of these referrals I need to sign. I’ll be done soon.”

Bokuto couldn’t help but smile. It might’ve been the fact that he was no longer under Daichi’s influence, or maybe he was scared that what happened to Yaku would happen to him, but Lev has really turned himself around in the last year. Bokuto was surprised the day he approached him and asked him to guide him on how to be better at his job, rather than pushing it onto others like he used to. It took him a while to get the hang of it, but last month Bokuto was present for a presentation he gave to members of their stockholders, and he felt like a father watching his son walk the stage of graduation.

“Hey, my friends are having a small get together tonight. Did you wanna join?”

Lev looked up at the ceiling, thinking it over. “Sorry, but I’ll pass. I really wanna get this done tonight.”

Bokuto chuckled inwardly. “Don’t work too hard, kid.”

He gave Lev a clap on the shoulder, though his focus was already back on the screen in front of him. Bokuto walked out into the night sky with a grin on his face. He was always excited to see his friends.

***

Iwaizumi put his car in park, unbuckling his seatbelt as he said, “You coming inside?”

“Yeah,” said Suga as he followed suit.

The two men walked up the concrete steps, and when Iwaizumi held open the door for him, Suga was surrounded by darkness. He turned back to Iwaizumi in confusion as the door closed behind them.

“Surprise!!!”

The lights flickered on, illuminating the mostly empty restaurant. Sitting around the bar was his former staff and their partners. There was a wide rectangular cake sitting on the counter, and the lit candles wax was dripping dangerously close to the white frosting.

“You better blow this out before it gets on the cake,” said Tanaka, his eyes darting towards Hinata.

“I told you not to light them so early, dumbass!”

“We didn’t know when he was coming!”

Suga was grinning as he made his way over to the cake, blowing out the candles just in time for a few droplets of wax to fall on the cake. Everyone cheered. 

“Not that I’m ungrateful, but… My birthday isn’t till Sunday.”

“Yeah, but you and Iwa-chan are gonna be away during it. We thought it’d be best to celebrate early.”

Suga ducked his head low. “You guys shouldn’t have.”

“Of course we should’ve. And we did,” Oikawa now had his arms wrapped around Iwaizumi’s neck. “Now cut the first slice. I’m hungry.”

Within minutes, the cake was devoured by the group, and that’s when drinks were passed around. Celebrations started off with the entire group, but eventually everyone broke off into their separate groups, chatting amongst each other at various places in the restaurant.

Kei and Kageyama seemed to be having some type of debate, but the way Kuroo was laughing at them made it seem like it was over something that wasn’t that serious. Asahi and Akaashi were leaning against the counter in quiet conversation. They might have not been the most sober in the room, but they definitely appeared to be. Kenma, Hinata, Yamaguchi, and Oikawa were huddled over a shared table. Every now and then, Oikawa would say something that would make Hinata get up from his chair, as if jumping up and down would further his point. All the while, Kenma and Yamaguchi tried and failed to suppress their laughter. Tanaka, Noya and Iwaizumi were in the middle of some type of drinking game.

‘Which one of them brought a deck of cards? This could get ugly?’ Suga huffed into his beer.

“Looks like fun. We might have to join later.”

“If we do, we might end up walking home without our shoes tonight.”

Suga turned his head to face Bokuto, who was taking a seat beside him as he reached for another beer. When he popped the cap open, Suga held out his drink and their lids clinked together before they both took a hardy swig.

It had taken Suga some time to gain his trust back in Bokuto, but the couple of months they spent apart gave him clarity to think over everything that happened. Even though he wished what happened that night didn’t exist, him being able to defend himself gave him a sense of courage he never had. The inadequacy he had been feeling the weeks leading up to that event finally dissipated, and he had a new found respect for himself. And that was the respect of knowing that he was worth more than the words of affirmation from another. He could look out onto this group of happy couples and feel just as fulfilled as they do. 

‘It’s not that it will never be for me, or that it wasn’t meant for me, it just isn’t in my path right now.’

That was something that took him a long time to realize.

Of course, Daichi was the aggressor in this situation, but Suga couldn’t help but to hold resentment towards Bokuto for a while. His doubts that Suga could handle the truth backfired, but in the end he understood why he did it. It wasn’t that he doubted Suga’s ability to protect himself, but rather he doubted himself from being able to protect a friend. That was a heavy burden he was carrying around for months alone.

Eventually, Suga reached out one day and Bokuto replied right away. He was nervous that things would be awkward between them, but once they got their apologies out of the way, they spent hours catching up. 

Suga’s jaw dropped when he saw the pair of gold rings resting in a white silk box. 

“No offense, but isn’t it a bit soon?! Have you guys even been together a full year.”

“I don’t know the exact date we were official. Our timing was kind of… complicated. But if I don’t do it soon, he might realize he’s too good for me and leave.”

Suga didn’t push for more details, and instead congratulated him. They spent the rest of that evening coming up with ideas on how Bokuto would propose, which Suga was glad he was there for because some of his ideas were downright awful.

“I’m gonna do it this weekend.”

Suga, being brought back to the present, chanced a look over at Akaashi. Not that he would suspect anything from this distance.

“Yeah right. You’ve been saying that for months now.”

“It’s true! I am! Just you wait.”

“Yeah, okay,” Suga said unconvinced as he brought his bottle back up to his lips.

“Suga! Bokuto! You wanna get in on this,” Tanaka shouted at them from across the room. Noya was waving one dollar bills behind his head.

Suga looked back at Bokuto, who had a similarly reluctant look on his face.

Suga shrugged, “Why the hell not.”

***

As Suga sat down at the bench, he loosened his tie.

“Do you want anything to drink?”, said Iwaizumi, pointing towards the sign that directed towards the vending machines.

“Yes, please. I didn’t expect that crowd to have so many questions. My mouth is parched.”

Iwaizumi nodded and headed down the hall. Suga took this time alone as an opportunity to check his phone, something he hadn’t had the chance to do all day. He scrolled past several email notifications on his lock screen till he saw he had a text and attachment from Bokuto.

‘Told you so!!!’ was the text, and above that was an image of Bokuto and Akaashi holding up their hands, showing off their matching rings. The background of the picture was what Suga assumed was the bar Bokuto had told him he met Akaashi at.

Suga texted back, ‘It’s about damn time.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is gonna be kinda long but PLEASE READ:
> 
> 1) I know everyone says this but seriously thank you for all the lovely comments. I’ve never really had a big following/ social media platform, so I never expected this series to get more than a couple dozen hits, but the support I got from all of you pushed me to finish this even on days when I felt like what I was doing wasn’t worth while. Even if I didn’t respond to your comment directly, just know that I’ve read every single one and they always put a smile on my face. So thank you <3
> 
> 2)I don’t really feel comfortable self promoting on this since it was so heavily inspired, so instead I am going to encourage you all to follow and support @val_kurry. This au series may be over, but I am excited for whatever future projects she takes on. 
> 
> 3)That being said, I might create a twitter account for my stories in the future. It’ll include anime/ fandom stuff 
> 
> 4)Someone asked if I’d continue this series even if the main story is complete. I might if I have an idea or if @val_kurry posts an update that inspires me to write. I know I didn’t flesh out every single ship, so maybe I might do that in the future but for now I have other ideas in mind (hint hint, I have a halloween themed Shinso story coming this month ;p)
> 
> 5)And lastly, I wanted to say that even though this story is based on fiction, some of the characters arcs were inspired by events I and some of the people in my life have gone through. And I wanted to make a point that the people you surround yourself with make a huge impact on your life, even in ways you may not notice. And it is important to remind yourself that sometimes the way you are treated is not a direct correlation to YOUR worth. The way someone talks to you, talks about you when you’re not around, reacts in your time of need, listens to you, etc, shows how much they care and how they actually feel about you. Break ups, ending friendships, rejection, and loneliness is hard, but sometimes these are temporary pains we must endure to grow into stronger people. 
> 
> Super corny I know, but I wanted to put that out there. 
> 
> Anyway, until the next time
> 
> Love y’all <3


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